BRAS: A Tale of Betrayal
by Mr B.Hunt
Summary: Team BRAS is not like the other teams coming to the Vale for the Vytal Festival, their motives are darker, much darker. But will they complete their objectives, or will someone put a stop to their plans? *Chapters 4-10 merged into 1, 2 and 3. Things have changed.*
1. BRAS: First Appearances

There was an old city in the kingdoms. It was almost like every other city, shops, homes and people all cluttered together. Though in this city, there was an old man.

The old man was always one to tell a story or tale, no matter where or when you asked him. He always wore a smile, even after everything that had happened in the past. The old man seemed to favour a few stories in particular. It was today that he was telling his favorite story to a traveller, it was a tale that many had heard before.

It was simply called the Tale of Betrayal by the man, quite the story if you could ignore some of his bias; apparently the old man could get pretty… wild with his storytelling. Sounded like he was starting, it was always a rocky start, even if he tried to change it every now and then...

* * *

It was sunny over Vale, barely any clouds over the blue sky and the general feeling of happiness in the air. The feeling wasn't alone however, accompanying it was a number of large flying transports. Their destination? Vale's very own Beacon Academy, home to many students and teachers, each and every young teen learning the works for their occupation. Hunting the beastly Grimm, horrors that stalk humanity no matter how far it runs. However, these air buses were not carrying new students to Beacon, they carried a cargo of foreign huntsmen-in-training. Teenagers from other academies coming over for the approaching Vytal Festival, or more specifically, the Vytal Tournament.

Held every two years among the four kingdoms, it celebrates the unity of the people of Remnant. To be truthful, most who will fight in the tournament will only do it for fame. Some might not, alas no one can know just yet. The five transports soon drifted lower till they halted at the docks, opening their doors to the academy grounds. The first of the exchange students that left the bullheads were happy to be on the ground again, some still not used to being away from their homes were a bit teary eyed, but the majority were all in all happy. So when a fight broke out it caught almost the entire group off guard.

"Ow! What was that for?" A fox faunus from Haven asked from the stone path, the boy who shoved her just spat to the side with narrow eyes

"You're a filthy faunus! You don't deserve to be here!" The boy sneered at the faunus, his uniform indicated he was from Atlas. Some noble born no doubt. "I doubt you even have a team! You're just a stowaway!" The boy spat.

Faunus, those who appear human, but hold animalistic traits. Most commonly, animal ears, eyes and claws are found on these people. Rarely, wings or even their skin is their unique trait. Unfortunately, humanity feels the need to fear these souls. Thus, the Great War broke out, a battle between humanity and their faunus foes. When the war ended, there was meant to be equality... that equality was never shared. The Atlesian student raised a fist, prepared to punch the innocent girl. At least that would've happened, if the iron grip around his wrist was released.

"Mate, I ain't gonna lie, you've just done screwed up." A cheerful voice stated, belonging to the teen who stopped the bully. One glare met another.

"Shove off." The Atlas boy retorted, moving his other hand to hit the blonde saviour. Only to find himself on the ground, doubled over from the gut punch he was dealt; thrown with blinding fury. The saviour of the faunus knelt over the bully and locked eyes with him, sneering at him.

"Bullying another student, from another school in a place who are welcoming you as guests? Mate, I'm sure that Atlas taught you better, or maybe your thick head is too stupid to realise that racism is a one way ticket back to your school." He said with a small grin, then he stood up and walked over to the faunus girl and offered her a hand. The other Haven student took it with a bit of hesitation and the boy helped her up.

"T-Thanks." The fox stammered while looking away, trying in vain to hide the slightly red tint to her cheeks.

"It's nothing lass, I just really hate hunters like him." The boy responded with a smile before it faded as the sound of shuffling feet reached his ears. He turned from the faunus to glare at the bully, who was now on his feet with an aggressive stance. "What? Want more, mate?" He asked sarcastically, smirk dancing across his face.

"You have just made a big mistake!" The bully stated as he tried to look taller and more intimidating, but the other boy just laughed and walked away. Giving the bully a little wave as he waltzed off. "H-hey! Come back here coward!" The bully yelled, the crowd silently gaped and turned to see the other boy's reaction.

"The only coward I see is the huntsman who tears down his own, check a mirror eh? You might see him too." The boy spat loudly without turning around, before continuing on his way. The bully huffed before disappearing into the crowd, ignoring the stares and scowls thrown at him.

The saviour wore a smile as he walked towards his team, scruffy hair bobbing as he walked. His pale skin and noticeable muscles were a strange combination, as if all he did was work out in a dark room. An emerald pair of eyes looked around as he walked towards the pair of twins, two of his teammates, both standing in front of the third before a large building.

They stood side by side, both of average height and build. They both wore the same uniform as both himself and the boy leaning against a flagpole next to them. Nearly identical to Haven's, but with a grey and white colour scheme; almost as if it was bleached.

One of the boy's eyes were a dark yellow, while on the right he had a lighter yellow. Though besides that, their features were almost exactly same. Both had the same hair colour, brown, and had sharp, thin faces. One of the twins grinned at the blond, while the other merely nodded silently.

"Hey, Bill." The grinning twin greeted, his voice slightly lighter on the ears.

"Hmph." The other grunted, his voice more deeper and baritone. Bill gave a little salute at the pair, lazily slapping a hand to his brow.

"Alex, Sam." He returned as he stood in front of the trio. "Howdy, Raiko." The third boy nodded. His eyes were slightly clouded a white colour, but they still held a tint of purple. He was blind, Bill had known this from the start. The wind shifted the giant's blonde hair, ever so slightly combed but scruffy like his own. Either way, his apparent ailment didn't stop the boy from standing in Beacon Academy and leaning against his flagpole.

The taller boy's banner was a long, brass pole that had a cross beam near the top, from that hung a proud flag. The banner was a simple long flag that hung down from the cross, though it was wrapped around the beam at the moment. He nodded in Bill's direction, good thing about Raiko, he was very sharp and the tallest out of his team. Like, abnormally so. Seven foot to their sixes. But abnormal is the norm with this squad of misfits.

"So, we're here now. What's next?" Alex grunted and crossed his arms.

"I thought you knew the plan?" Sam exclaimed with a grin, getting a punch to the shoulder in return. "Hey! It has been drilled into our heads."

"To quite an extent, eh mate? Right now, we need to find our dorms and get set in." Bill finished with a grin before leading his team towards Beacon's grand entrance, catching a little whisper from Sam that sounded suspiciously like a jab at his brother before a thud and yelp had it clear Raiko was always one step ahead of him.

"Cheers, Raiko." Bill tossed over his shoulder as they finally and officially entered Beacon.

After waiting around, getting stared at (and promptly staring at said curious students) and listening to the headmaster Ozpin drawl on about how much the students are welcome, the team were finally told where their rooms are. So here they were, walking down a hallway that a random few students pointed them down. Since their host had failed to direct the crowd to their dorms, amusing few.

"So, say if I took just-"

"No."

"Hey, you haven't even heard my-"

"No."

"But-"

"You are not going to the armoury to get fire dust to 'help make the lights brighter'!" Bill barked at the twin. "As much as that who amuse him." Sam chuckled before opening his mouth to retort. Luckily, it was then that he bumped into what felt like a suit of armour, his eyes immediately finding it was merely a Beacon uniform worn another brown haired boy, a glare of anger in his eyes.

"Oi, watch it." The boy snapped as he went to shove the twin, only to find his hand was held in the vice-like grip of Raiko. The other twin stepped forwards but Bill shifted in front of him, a smile on his face. It wasn't a friendly smile.

"Sorry bout that, mate. Just a lil on edge, isn't that right Raiko?" He asked his tall teammate, who nodded and released the stranger. With a pat on the other boy's shoulder, the blonde added, "No hard feelings, eh?" The Beacon student scoffed.

"Bugger off, you lot aren't that strong. You probably hide behind Mr. Compensation here in fights." The teen stated, slapping the other boy's hand off. Bill adopted a frown before putting on another smile.

"Say, you wouldn't happen to have an arena around here, would you?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah, we do. Why? You fight? You'll lose, you're the side of a twig." The teen laughed before shaking his head, Bill chuckled with him while Alex crossed his arms and Sam sniggered to himself. Raiko raised an eyebrow at his leader's actions. Rubbing a finger across his nose, the blonde leader stepped closer to the Beacon student

"Give me a time, I'm looking forward to putting you and your team in the ground." Bill demanded coldly, his happy side gone dark, before a kind smile washed over his face, not reaching his eyes in intensity.

The student's eyes widened before he snorted, proudly sneering at him. "The next combat lesson, I doubt you'll even show up. My team will kick your ass."

"I'll be looking forward to seeing you in the arena, mate." Bill said with glee as he lead his team away, leaving both the failed bully and a very curious girl in sunglasses - who had managed to walked past at just the right time - in their wake. Team BRAS entered their room, finding it not too big not too small and began to unpack their gear. Afterwards, Bill left to wander the halls on his own.

The blonde wore a small smile as he walked through the seemingly winding maze of the school, nodding to any students that he passed along the way. One such student bumped into the boy, stumbling back with a shocked expression. Bill latched a hand around the girl's arm to steady her, smiling apologetically before frowning slightly. "I recognise your face, lass, and your eyes."

The dark haired girl narrowed her eyes, eyes that shone like fire. She crossed her arms over her Haven uniform. "But I do not recognise you." The blonde boy raised his eyebrow, noting the silky voice. It was very familiar, then it clicked.

"You were there, on the day of the deal." Bill smirked darkly. "You are one of the Witch's pawns. Cinder, right?" Immediately, the girl's expression snapped to anger.

"Quiet." She hissed and glanced around, checking the hollow halls for any life. Cinder leaned closer. "You were supposed to be here already, where are the others?"

"Around. I thought my part was to simply be here at the right time, lass. You're just here to get the power." Bill snapped, raising his finger. "You just mind your own business, witch. The plan will go to plan, just as planned, eh?" The boy smiled, starting back the way he came. "As long as you stay out of the way, we'll do our job."

"As will I, take care Bill." The woman sneered, watching the teen slowly march down the hall with a cheerful hop in his step. They would be seeing a lot more of each other in the future, even neither wanted to, only time would tell; and time's saying it's bedtime.

* * *

Team BRAS walked into the main combat classroom in the early morning, surprising Professor Goodwitch who had entered just seconds before them. The blonde professor was dressed in her usual uniform, a white blouse with a black dress covering her lower half alongside a pair of leggings. A purple cape with pointed curls fluttered as she turned.

"Howdy, Miss." The team's leader greeted with a nod of his head, his team nodding their own greetings. Goodwitch merely returned their greetings with a swift nod before her eyes drifted over to Raiko, gazing over his clouded eyes then to his banner. She narrowed her eyes at the weapon, and its user.

"Excuse me, but you cannot have weapons out during school times, unless you are in the arena. You should already know this." The Professor stated, glaring past her glasses at the silent teen. There was a pause of mute staring before the Professor coughed. "Put it in your locker. Now." She spoke firmly as she kept eye contact with the blind boy.

His fists tightened around the handle, the sound of creaking echoed around the room. Made by either his own hands or the force upon the banner.

"Ah, Miss? Raiko doesn't drop the banner. Never has, never will." Alex said softly as he saw his friend's eyes narrow, the cloudy oceans within not hiding the hatred well.

"Yeah, I'm afraid that I've never actually seen Raiko without his banner." Bill said, putting in his piece. Yet Glynda didn't seem to understand, she merely saw the student as someone who thought himself above the rules. Thus she had to act like the teacher she was.

"Nonsense, now, put down the staff." She ordered, Raiko didn't move an inch. The combat teacher narrowed her eyes as she brought out her riding crop. She aimed it at Raiko, whose teammates moved away from the tall, silent banner man. The Professor waved her weapon in the air before three figures moved in front of her target, his teammates.

"Raiko..." Bill hissed in a low voice. "Can you not try and piss off the teacher, please?" Raiko looked at Bill with an empty stare before nodding once, turning his gaze back to the teacher as Bill raised his hands with a nervous smile. "Sorry bout that, Miss. He's very protective of that banner." Bill apologised for Raiko, well aware of the anger in the woman's eyes. Glynda stared at Raiko for a moment more, quickly turning her attention to Bill.

"I'd appreciate an apology and an explanation as to why he's showing such disrespect from the person in question." Glynda stated coldly, before Bill could explain Raiko's ailment, the boy in question lifted his head and revealed what was under his jaw. It was like an apprentice butcher sliced and diced wildly at his throat. Cuts and scars, gashes and wounds, all spread haphazardly across his neck. Not to even mention the burns and scorched texture, it was truely sickening to witness on a boy of his age.

Professor Goodwitch coughed into her hand, looking back up with a new expression of pity. "I... I don't think I'll ask for that apology, I'll... let you off for your weapon, just for now until I get to the bottom of this with Ozpin." Raiko let a nod from his head and a new expression answer. The Professor turned to address Bill. "So why did you and your team show up, well before the bell to start classes?"

"Now that's a kicker!" The leader declared with a smirk. "We plan to challenge a certain somebody and his team, after all, talking trash is something we love to change. Ain't that right, boys?" Bill asked his team, both twins chuckled darkly and Raiko nodded with a dangerous smirk. Professor Goodwitch's eyebrows rose slightly, her attitude changing about these boys. "But of course, we wanted to ask you if we could take the first match for that." Bill admitted with a smile.

"Well, unfortunately, today we are having single on single fights. Tomorrow we are having team matches." Professor Goodwitch said, already wondering about how Raiko could even fight. Though with the fact of his mere presence in the school, his skill as a huntsman makes up for his disabilities.

"Doesn't matter, Goodwitch, we want to fight those guys." Sam stated and Alex agreed with a grunt, Glynda shot them a harsh glare, wiping the grin of one twin's face and putting a frown on the other.

"Reel it back at bit, guys." Bill warned as he watched Glynda's eyes narrow dangerously. "Save it for the arena, and Sam? Do be a dear and shut up." Bill said and Sam waved his hand at him. "Sorry again, Miss." Bill apologised yet again before leading his team to the stands. Glynda was confused for a moment, then asked with a hidden smile.

"You all do realise that Grimm studies is currently the first class of the day, for all students?" Bill could just hear the smile on her face, so he did what anyone would do.

"Ah fantastic, truely wonderful!" Bill spat at the sky as he tore open the door and sprinted towards their class, his team following close behind. Leaving a failing to scowl Professor Goodwitch, who ever so slightly smiled when Raiko came back to gently shut the door.

Just before the portly Professor Port could add any more to yet another story, team BRAS suddenly kicked down the door with wild eyes. Bill's calm yet friendly face was downcast in exhaustion with the twins' mirroring their leader's state, only Raiko was straight faced as he walked past the breathless teens and towards Peter.

The Grimm studies teacher was more than surprised when he witnessed the burst in, but when the boy with the banner walked right up and gave him a note simply reading 'Late', he just had to explode with laughter. "Oh my boy! It is fine, I was just about to talk about the time I fought one-on-one, hand-to-hand against a Goliath..." Professor Port began his tale but already the team had droned out his voice - already fitting in to the class - and took the open seats near the front.

Bill sat with his hands behind his head and his feet on the desk while Alex calmly sat with his arms crossed and Sam leaned lazily over the table. Raiko just sat back in his chair, his banner laying on the table in front of him with a few fingers tapping on it as he listened to the teacher's far fetched story Though he couldn't ignore the whispers coming from his left, he leaned towards the noise and 'glared' in the general direction of the whispering.

"Uh oh, I think he heard." A little meek voice whispered loudly, it seemed innocent. Strange, innocence around a school that teaches you to kill beasts. It screamed such strangeness to Raiko, since he had only encountered such naivety with children. Who lets a child fight against monsters?

Somebody else sighed loudly. "Obviously you dolt, your whispering could wake up Vale!" A posh voice stated, it sounded familiar. Like a business woman with a stick up her ass. Granted, not many of those were in his home.

Somebody else snickered. "And now he definitely heard you, Ice Queen." Her voice was similar to the first, except more mature. Hiding a hint of... suggestiveness to it. That... was something Raiko would look out for.

Professor Port cleared his throat, ceasing all whispering. Still he could hear soft breathing close by, almost as if he was right next to someone. Clouded eyes quickly widened as he threw himself back off the person he was leaning over and right into Sam, knocking him in turn to bump into Alex who shoved his brother back with his shoulder

"Ah! Damnit Raiko!" Sam swore at his friend, quickly glancing over his shoulder and spotting a blushing rabbit faunus in a Beacon uniform. "Really? A girl already, Raiko?" He teased, the silent giant glared his friend's smile away, twisting back to the faunus and signing out an apology.

 **"Sorry about that, I was distracted."**

Her voice had a strange accent to it, one that made Raiko search his head to remember where he had heard it from. "Oh, it's fine, n-no biggy." The faunus spoke softly. "My name is Velvet, what's yours?" Ah, Vacuo born perhaps. That's what that kingdom was called again, right?

Then, before Raiko could stop himself, he signed his name. **"Raiko."** Only then did he realise that the teen was actually continuing the conversation, he frowned.

"Raiko sounds like a nice name." Velvet spoke in her quiet voice, the boy's eyebrows rose and the rabbit faunus giggled. "I used to have a deaf friend, had to learn sign language to talk with him." She explained, not noticing his slight frown. Thankfully the bell rang and Professor Port huffed about not finishing his story as the class quickly moved through the door and towards the Combat Class, towards excitement and, to one particular student, fear.

The sea of students sat down in the stands that overlooked the arena, though one made his way over to a team of laid back boys.

"Howdy, mate. Still want to get your shit kicked in?" Bill greeted the brown haired boy, throwing an arm around his shoulders. The other boys wore looks of confusion as they glanced at each other before turning to the blonde.

"Cardin, you know this guy?" One of his friends asked, a mohawk running across his head.

"Sure does, he wants to fight my team. So you still good to go, buddy?" The blonde asked cheerfully, causing Cardin to scoff and shove his arm off.

"Yeah, like I said, we'll kick your asses." He sneered as the Professor started walking towards the arena.

"Of course, mate." With that, Bill walked back to BRAS with a knowing smirk. The teacher stood before the assembled class and slowly shifted her eyes through the faces until she met the cocky grin and eyes of a certain blonde, narrowing her eyes at him before speaking.

"Today's lesson has been adjusted slightly, we will be having a team vs team fight." Professor Goodwitch stated loudly, starting a quiet murmur among the crowd. "This challenge has been issued by team BRAS against CRDL, I have approved this and will count this towards the yearly leaderboards."

"High risk, eh?" Bill smirked and sent a glance over to his opponents, watching them panic amongst themselves.

"The first match will be between Sky Lark and Sam... Fedalus Pectorus?" The teacher raised an eyebrow at the strange name, unaware that more than one student bristled at the mispronounced words.

"It's Fidelis Pectoris, Miss!" Sam barked from the stands, getting up from his seat and making his way towards the locker rooms with a cheeky glint in his eyes. "Come on, Lark. If you don't want to be dragged down, get a move on." He added, watching in amusement as the boy scowled and shoved his way to the changing rooms. While the pair changed, the crowd traded whispers.

"What kind of name is that? Fid-whatever?"

"No clue, must be something from Atlas."

"Nah, that's not Atlesian, maybe Mistral?"

"I wonder what weapon he'll use? It's gotta be something really cool, like a gun-axe hybrid or spring loaded mace!" The muttering died when Sky appeared from his side, decked in his light grey and silver armour, a long halberd in his hands. The teen wore an uneasy expression, framed by an annoyance at his leader's antics forcing him to battle.

"Come on, wipe that frown off your face!" Called a voice across from him. "Put some spirit into your body." Sam walked into view, wearing a set of strange armour. The chestplate and leggings were made of brass, smooth and glistening under the light, while his arms were left covered by a long sleeved tunic and chainmail; gauntlets hugging his hands. With an armet covering his head, it's visor a thin slit across the face with five small vertical slots over the mouth.

Many in the stands were dumbfounded at the use of such material, most huntsmen used steel, iron and sometimes even bronze to craft their armour. Brass was far too brittle to be used in combat, just ever so slightly stronger than the copper used in technology.

Now the attention was moved to the twin's weapon, one similar to the other boy's own. It's head was shaped like a voulge, with a hint of a glaive style, that attached to a long, engraved shaft. The blade itself was decorated with the image of a dragon's maw on both sides, snarling towards the point of the weapon.

"Taken a long enough look? Lets get fighting!" The brown haired boy barked, thudding his polearm on the ground.

"That's enough." Professor Goodwitch said firmly, looking between the pair from the sidelines. "Are both fighters ready?"

"Yup." Sam answered immediately, taking his weapon in both hands and holding it over his head, blunt end aimed at the other teen.

"Yes." Sky muttered and kept his halberd across his body, gaining a snort of amusement from his opponent. They stood in wait as the teacher pulled her hand up into the air, holding it there for a few seconds before dropping it.

"Begin."

Slowly, the twin stomped towards the other boy, even adding an exaggerated shoulder shudder too. Sky simply ran at the twin with his halberd coming over his shoulder, the axehead descending towards Sam's shoulder. The twin countered by bashing the blunt end of his weapon into the blade before smashing the shaft into his face, following with another hit from the flat of the brass blade. Sky stumbled, Aura flashing violently, only to be righted by his opponent's weapon flying off his head and pulled against his neck. With only a second of hesitation, Sam jerked his head back and smashed his forehead against the dark haired boy's own. His opponent's eyes rolled and his Aura shattered instantly, setting off the Aura bell.

The brown haired boy stepped back from his handiwork and twirled his weapon in his gasp, letting it land against his shoulder. "That wasn't enough spirit, Lark. Maybe next time." He grinned before twisting on his heel and walking back to the locker rooms, leaving the dazed teen to struggle to his feet.

"Sam Fidelis Pectoris wins. Next match will be between Dove Bronzewing and Alex Fidelis Pectoris." The Professor calmly called out, peering at her tablet. The narrow eyed boy stood with a cocky grin, turning his gaze over to the other twin.

"I'm gonna win this one, better just give up." He taunted, now the class turned their attention over to the brown haired boy. He slowly rose from his seat and grunted, ignoring the teen and wandering off towards the changing rooms. The lack of answer fueled the bully's confidence, and only a few mutters from the stands.

The arena was empty for a few minutes until Dove waltzed out with a smug expression, tapping his sword against his leg. He tapped his foot and was already opening his mouth to taunt the lack of opponent, then the sounds of quickly approaching clattering shut him up. Alex appeared in a light jog,

He skidded to a stop at the edge of the arena, emitting a light mist from his grated visor. Like his brother's armour, his armour was made from brass plates. Though unlike Sam, they covered his arms and shoulders. With great, deep breaths, his pauldrons shifted like a pontoon in violent waves. Running down the top and back of his helmet was a steep ridge, shaped like a wedged axehead.

Alex hauled his weapon into view from his side, sending a shiver down the once brave Dove. It was a truely massive sword, claymore-like but almost doubled in length. Its blade was plain and instead of slowly moving towards a sharp point it was simply entirely rectangular, designed for a singular purpose. Execution.

Professor Goodwitch stepped forwards and turned an inquisitive eye over the helmeted boy's weapon before looking over to the cocky blonde. "Are both fighters ready?" She asked calmly.

"Yeah." Dove simply said, twirling in his sword in his hands. The twin let out an amused grunt, stomping into the ring and pulling his own blade in front of him.

"Ready." Came Alex's answer in a deep hiss. The teacher nodded, tapped on her tablet and stepped back with a raised hand.

"Then begin!" And so they did, with the twin stomping forth with frightening speed. He swung his blade down with a loud grunt, crashing against Dove's hastily raised guard. The force knocked the boy's upper body down, his sword scraping the floor as Alex raised his massive weapon again.

Dove was smashed into the ground without mercy, the blow shattering his Aura into the yellow. He rolled to the side, eyes wide at the sound and impact of the twin's boot appear right next to his head. The downed boy kicked the other boy's knee and rolled back into a crouch, finding only another kick flying at his face. The crowd let out a wince as the narrow-eyed boy was flung head over heels.

He hit the floor and groaned, looking up into the bright lights that flooded down from the ceiling. Then his vision was filled by shadowy brass and an outstretched gauntlet, one that swiftly wrapped around his arm and hauled him to his feet.

"You're not done yet." Alex stated, releasing his hold and smashing a flat palm against Dove's chest. It seemed to do the trick as the boy moved into a quick thrust and slash against the twin's chest with his weapon, getting a slightly aggravated snort from his opponent. The fight truely started as the pair slashed against each other's guard, trading blows against raised blades. Those in the stands with any ounce of combat experience would've seen the clear signs that Alex was playing with Dove, though whether to prove a point or to exhaust the boy wasn't clear yet.

Suddenly, the twin shook his head with a loud bellow - almost like an angry bull - swinging his sword around his head and lodging it deep into the arena. Alex charged straight at the other boy, arms pumping away as he threw himself towards him. Dove recoiled and raised his blade just a second too late, unable to stop the twin from ramming both hands into the sides of his skull.

The armoured fingers tightened around the struggling boy's head and bought his face close to the visor, blowing a burst of vapour into Dove's panicked eyes. The many eyes in the stands watched in mute curiosity as the boy from CRDL's expression flickered from shock, to anger before turning into something truely unexpected. Fear.

"G-get the hell away from me!" He screamed out, voice muffled but his fists free to wildly bash away at Alex's arms. The twin let out a deep chuckle and raised the boy into the air, ignoring his attempts to free himself, and tossed Dove back. As soon as his feet hit the floor, Dove charged not at the boy, but towards the locker rooms. The ring out bell sounded, giving Alex the win and Goodwitch a headache.

"Alex Fidelis Pectoris wins by knockout, even if he didn't knock Mr. Bronzewing out of the ring." The professor sighed, swiping something on her device before looking at the twin. "Your Semblance is concerning, Mr. Fidelis. Use it wisely." She advised, the boy nodded and yanked his sword from the floor; walking out of the arena with great thundering steps. Those in the stands were already muttering and exchanging their thoughts as they watched him disappear into the locker room.

"Damn, he was pretty brutal."

"Obviously, did you even see what he did to the other guy? Made him bloody panic."

"Then what's his Semblance? Making fear?"

"If it is, then he better not use it outside of a village. Grimm would swarm like flies." There were more than a few in agreement, Alex would be someone to watch out for. Finally, the blonde woman stepped back into the centre of the ring and the boy entered the locker room. Professor Goodwitch took a moment to adjust her glasses before checking her tablet once more.

"The third match will be between Russel Thrush and Raiko…" She fell silent and tapped away with a concerned expression, finding little in her strange bout of confusion. The teacher pushed her glasses up again and looked up. "Please enter the area." Like clockwork, Raiko stood up with a rigid stance and marched through the crowd; banner still held high. The mohawked boy next to his leader wore an uneasy expression, unsure how he should feel.

On one side, he was fighting a blind guy. On the other, his team has so far wiped the floor with Dove and Sky. Cardin smacked his shoulder, giving him a fierce grin. "You're gonna win thin one, he's blind!" The boy hissed, Russel nodded a few times and finally stood up. It took the thin boy only a minute or two to gear up, wearing a sleeveless shirt, single pauldron with simple pants and wielding a pair of daggers. Thankfully, it took only another minute for the blind teen to appear in a quiet walk.

Raiko wore a grey, padded tunic with a pair of simple trousers, only a single shoulder plate bearing the engraving of a ring protected him other than Aura. His hands were locked around his banner, raised high and gently waving with each step. Russel glanced up his foe's clouded eyes, trying to find anything them. Only cold, furious disgust dwelled within those eyes. He shivered and took a step back, just an inch over the arena's edge.

"Enter the arena, Mr. Thrush." Professor Goodwitch advised, sending the boy a narrow eyed glare from over her tablet. He hesitantly stepped forth, raising his daggers slightly in a ready stance. Raiko continued to stare down at Russel with his hateful stare. "Are both fighters ready?" Came the familiar question from the woman, though she only got a pair of nods for an answer. "Then begin."

Raiko remained steadfast in his place as Russel rushed towards him, one dagger held at his side and the other in front of his chest. The smaller boy jumped at the blind teen with a warcry, bringing both daggers across his body to slash down Raiko's face and chest.

The mohawked teen stumbled as his target sidestepped and let the boy fly past. Russel scowled and leapt again, swinging past the giant's form as he moved aside. His daggers slashed and sliced furiously at the taller teen, whose stare never wavering and banner held firmly in the air; brandishing the flagpole at the head of an attack that would never come.

"Come on! Hit him, Russel!" Cardin shouted from the stands, not helping in the slightest. His shouts only angering the dagger wielding teen, who started to desperately overextending himself to get just a single hit on Raiko. It was after Russel threw a wild punch that another voice called from the stands, much lighter and cheerful on the ear.

"Raiko better give him a spark of life, yeah? He's looking pretty low on energy." Sam cheered, leaning over the rail with a cheeky smirk. Finally, Raiko switched his gaze from the smaller teen up to his friend. Russel paused for a moment, feeling a strange sense of relief before being flooded with dread.

The blind boy planted his banner with a thunderous thud at his side and rolled his shoulders, flexing the digits on his free hand. The mohawked boy didn't hesitate to charge again, rolling into a human-cannonball midair as he flew at the guardless teen; the boy's hand rising above his head. It took barely a second and Russel was launched across the arena floor and out of bounds, his Aura sparking with orange lightning. Bolts dancing over the boy's skin as he twitched wildly.

"Raiko wins by knockout!" The blonde boy slowly brought his outstretched arm back to grip his flagpole, fingers still lightly sparking with burning lightning. Raiko tapped his banner against the floor and marched across the ring, ignoring the struggling boy along the way to the locker room. Silence reigned the stands, not a single whisper or murmur at the show of such power. "This last round will be between Cardin Winchester and Bill Joveenus?" Professor Goodwitch raised another eyebrow at the unknown name, glancing over her glasses at the boy in the stands.

"It's pronounced Juvenis, Miss." The leader of BRAS said with a grin, standing up and wiping her hands on his shirt. "Come along now, Cardin. Don't be shy, big guy." He sneered at the bully, getting a grunt from him.

"Shut up, I'll kick your ass." He snapped, igniting a booming laugh in Bill.

"Right, keep telling yourself that, lad." With that, both boys entered the arena's locker rooms for the last round. For once, the member from BRAS appeared first. With a confident stride, Bill walked out with open arms, bathing in the light. A great, yet battleworn, cape hung from his shoulders. Its blood red colour mesmerizing a similarly cloaked girl in the stands, her eyes wide with what seemed like admiration and respect of a good cape.

Besides the gloriously lengthy cloak, he wore the same suit of shining plate armour as his teammates with a couple of differences. Like his chainmail covered arms, rolled up to the elbow, and his bare hands. An orange sash was draped around his waist, hanging under his left hand. Then came his helmet.

It was a strange thing, with a pair of curved neck guards under the cheeks, a thick, solid brass crown wrapping around the head and the shaped face that was the entire faceplate of the helm. Wearing the expression of a scowling warrior, it was a daunting sight for a few in the crowd. Of course, when Cardin strode out with his combat attire and mace, Bill threw a jab his way.

"Huh, colour me surprised, ladies and gentlemen. Our friend actually grew a pair." The blonde mocked with a chuckle, voice echoing from within his helmet. His opponent sneered, dropping his mace's head into his free hand.

"Yeah, keep up that attitude. I'll knock it out of you."

"Sure mate, and I'll wipe the floor with you without my weapons. That's a promise, lad." Bill stated proudly, throwing his arms out in a taunting fashion. The professor made a sharp cough and glared at the pair.

"That'll be enough, are both fighters ready?" Thankfully, this would be the last time she would ask that question for today.

"Of course, Miss." The blonde teen answered and raised his fists.

"Yeah." The brown haired bully grunted, raising his weapon with narrow eyes.

"Begin." With Professor Goodwitch's falling hand, the pair charged with fury in their eyes. Cardin swung low and started to bring his mace up towards his enemy's face, only to have a brass boot kick it out of its arc. Bill's hand tore through the air and grasped the bully's shoulder, throwing his head forward and bashing stars into his eyes.

Both boys recoiled away from each other, with Cardin holding his head and the blonde starting to turn on his heel, fist already raised for a brutal punch. Unfortunately, the brown haired boy recovered and stepped back to let the attack fly into nothing, allowing a smile to bloom over his face. Then he was promptly thrown off balance, a flash of red appearing in his vision before disappearing. The bully shook his head and snapped his eyes to the offending blur: Bill's billowing cloak of red.

"Ah, that'll be the cloak minus the dagger, mate." The other boy barked with a hidden grin, rolling his shoulders to ease the cape from the air. "Let's dance." Suddenly, Cardin felt something bash his chin and send him stumbling. Bill stepped closer to swing his already extended fist back into the boy's chin, moving his cape along with his arm in a dazzling backhand.

"Damnit." The stunned teen swore, stepping forwards and moved his weapon to strike the smug blonde. Once again, he was countered by a fist to his unarmoured face and another punch to his jaw. "Fucking-"

"Watch that tongue, lad." Bill chirped and smashed two open palms against the sides of Cardin's head, forcing a harsh ringing sound into his ears. Not yet done, his cloak joined his hands and slapped against the boy's Aura. Now, the stands were murmuring again. With what seemed like a piece of fabric, the Haven student had dropped Cardin's Aura into the orange.

"How is he doing that?"

"It's gotta be weighted, otherwise we aren't seeing something."

"That cape is so cool!" A voice squealed, getting a laugh out of the brass armoured blonde. Bill bowed towards the stands, ducking under the mace that was flying at his face. Cardin snarled and brought his other hand to grip his weapon before raising it above his head, leaving his entire body exposed.

The bully felt a kick slam into his knee, causing the teen to hunch over to deal with the pain. Another hand landed on his weapon, though it was the flat handed punch that disarmed him of his mace. As Cardin stumbled back, he looked up with wide eyes, finding his opponent pulling his arm back.

"Catch." With that, Bill hurled the heavy mace directly into the brown haired teen's face, throwing both clear out of the ring; sounding both the low Aura bell and the ring out bell. The blonde's hands removed his stoic helm and revealed his wide smile. "That's all folks!" While the a fair few in the stands did clap, the teacher gave the boy both a glare and a concerned look.

"Mr. Juvenis, while you did win this round, using another hunter's weapon to fight them is frowned upon. While not against academy rules, it is a sign of disrespect in many schools. Please keep this in mind." Professor Goodwitch informed the still grinning boy, who simply gave a salute.

"Will do, Miss. Apologies." Bill said and slowly walked out of the arena, leaving his opponent to pull himself off the ground - only to promptly fall flat after three steps.

While the blonde redressed himself into Haven's uniform, the rest of Bill's team was climbing up the steps into the stands. The students looked at them in a mixture of respect, fear and awe. They couldn't care less as the trio sat down, unknowingly next to team RWBY and JNPR. It was Raiko that heard and felt someone slide closer to him, causing his cloudy eyes narrow.

"Hey there good lookin'." It was the mature, suggestive one. Fantastic. Raiko nodded and tried to listen to Professor Goodwitch's comments about how his team completely smashed CRDL. Going over mostly how taunting an opponent either in or out of the arena brings many consequences, like getting your ass handed to you. But alas the girl wasn't deterred and pressed her... assets against him. "You know it's rude to ignore someone." She whispered in his ear, quite a bit too close for comfort.

The giant rolled his eyes and pulled out a bit of paper from his pocket, passing it to her.

"Already giving me a number, eh? Well let's see what-" The girl shut up, thanks to the contents of the note: You must be desperate to flirt with a blind guy.

"Yang! Stop being weird with strangers!" Ruby cried loudly, catching everyone's attention which was immediately brought to the blonde pressing up against Raiko. The silent member of BRAS looked around before shrugging, causing many students to giggle as Yang began to blush at the surprise attention.

"Ms Xiao Long, could you please refrain from your 'weirdness' and remove yourself from the other students?" The teacher called out, causing more laughter and sending Yang to blur away from the boy. After the laughter died down, Bill returned and watched as Cardin was dragged off to the infirmary by a shaky Dove. The bell finally rung as the pair disappeared through the doors.. "Alright everyone, remember what you saw and how not to challenge the unknown." Professor Goodwitch said as the class dispersed through the hallways, BRAS was almost out the door when the woman called out. "Raiko, come here for a moment."

The blind boy turned on his heel and marched to the edge of the stands, standing before the teacher

"My file on you isn't complete, which within itself is strange, but more so when it is to do with your name." Professor Goodwitch told him sternly, swiping on her tablet and sighing. "While it isn't uncommon to have delays on the information, I require a last name. Otherwise you, and your team, may be removed from Beacon and this year's Vytal Festival." She looked up to find Raiko holding a piece of paper out towards her, slightly smiling.

The boy watched the woman take the note and read over the single word upon its crumpled surface, noting the frown on her face.

"Ulton-us?" She tried to pronounce, only to get a soft shake of the head. "Oltio-nus?" Once again a shake. "Ultionis?" Glynda finally tried and got a wide smile, in turn making her share a small smile . "Thank you, Mr. Ultionis. Now if you don't mind me asking, where did you-" Her voice trailed off as she looked up from her tablet, finding Raiko gone from the room. Like a ghost.

 **"Hello"** Raiko signed as he appeared next to Velvet, who let out an 'eep'. Adorable.

"H-hi, Raiko." The faunus stammered, clearly blushing even to the blind teen. "You a-and your t-team f-fought pretty well against C-Cardin." It was the way Velvet said Cardin that made him stop for a moment, turning to her.

 **"You sound... scared of Cardin."** Raiko signed hesitantly, he heard the girl sigh.

"He... bullied me for awhile, but it's fine!" She added quickly, too quickly. The blind teen stopped and stared into her eyes, causing Velvet started to stammer in a bad attempt to make an excuse. He shook his head and started to sign.

 **"Of course only a fool would bully a girl, you could drop him without dropping a sweat."** The boy signed and marched away, leaving Velvet to grow a small smile and hop away happily to find and talk with her teammates.

As the boy marched down the hall, he was yanked into a side hallway by a shadowy hand. His face was a snarl as he came face to face with the kidnapper. It was a girl in a black beret and wearing sunglasses which was the only thing Raiko was bothering to look at as he frowned at the close contact, and the possible mugging.

"I saw you with my friend back there, you try anything funny, we'll have a problem. Got it?" The girl snapped harshly, expecting to scare the taller student into submission. All she got was the boy lowering his prepared backhand before he swiftly moving closer to let out a low growl, rumbling from deep within his chest. Raiko stepped back and out into the hall, continuing on his way with heavy footsteps.

While the beret wearing girl glared after the boy, Velvet walked past. Just like with the giant, the student grabbed her and pulled the faunus into the hallway. Velvet's eyes were wide and her hands were up, then she realised it was just her friend and frowned. Her ears twitching.

"Coco, did you need to do that?" Velvet asked and Coco laughed.

"Yes I did hun, because I just found your little friend." Coco stated and the other girl immediately frowned, then blushed in realisation. "I must say, I'm liking what I'm seeing." That was a lie, she didn't trust that guy. She couldn't name the feeling, but it was just… wrong. Though his bravery at walking away from her was noted.

"S-shut up!" The faunus yelled, her hands now covering her face to hide the massive blush. "We're j-just classmates!" As the girl ran off, Coco began to think with a smirk. Oh the possibilities of teasing, endless in her hands.

Before long Raiko found his friends in the cafeteria, luckily Alex pulled him to their table when he found the blonde boy standing and glaring at everyone from the entrance. The noise was deafening to the pair but at least they have familiar faces around to sit with, as soon as he sat down Sam pushed a plate of food over to him.

"Cheers" The towering boy signed as he gently leaning his banner against the table and dug in, keeping a foot against the pole as listened to the conversation that the other members of BRAS were in.

"They all need proper training, it might work against Grimm but it's useless against thinking targets." Alex commented as he raised an apple to his mouth, only to have his brother smack it out of his hand. He turned a deadpan stare to his chuckling sibling. "Really?"

"Sorry, you looked too much like an asshole eating that apple." His brother explained with a cheeky grin, causing Bill to burst into laughter awhile their blind friend let a small smile grow across his face.

"Aye, those guys were a lousy lot. Hell, anyone from home would've kicked them down a notch." Bill said absentmindedly, not noticing a certain blond appear behind him. Suddenly he found himself embraced by strong arms and two mounds he knew weren't hands... he never said he was complaining.

"Well hello there-" Yang started but the leader just shook his head.

"Not interested, back off." Bill warned and the girl appropriately backed off before appeared on Alex's lap.

"How about you, hot stuff?" She purred.

"Leave." Was all she got, with a frown she appeared leaning on Sam.

"I have a boyfriend." Yang looked shocked at the smirking boy. "I'm kidding, still no." the boy chuckled as the girl turned to Raiko, who was still silently eating and ignoring the advances. Her face broke into a wolfish grin as she sauntered around the table towards him, ignoring the looks of hatred burning into the back of her head… Yang already had a pickup line and she would not be deterred, she just needed to get close to him. So she moved her hand towards his banner.

There was a deafening slam then ringing noise that silenced the chatter for a moment, picking up again to leave the girl staring with a frozen smile at the fork that was mere inches from her fingers. Raiko's fist was shaking as he slowly turned from his food, his clouded eyes almost reflecting a hint of her purple eyes within. Immediately, the girl disappeared back to her table.

"Damn, it's always her type." Sam started, only to have an upstruck voice interrupt him.

"Hey! You need to apologise right now!" Raiko's head slammed onto the table then returned to where it was held, clearly the blind teen wasn't in the mood. But alas, Ruby and Weiss weren't going be shrugged off that easily. They both stared at the boys, though it was Weiss who frowned expectantly as they resumed their chatting with each other.

"Hey! Are you even listening, you just threatened our teammate. She deserves an apology!" The heiress demanded, frowning with an upturned nose. All she got was silence. "Excuse me-"

"You don't need an apology." Alex grunted, leaning on the table with a scowl.

"We won't be saying sorry for Raiko, you're big girls, get over it." His brother added, raising an eyebrow at the apparent childish attitude in the two teens. Weiss stuttered with a shocked expression.

"B-but what-?" BIll openly laughed at the white haired teen.

"Lass, it's very easy to understand. There wasn't any harm done to your friend, why do we need to say sorry?" He asked, frowning at the stunned teen. Finally, the red cloaked girl saved the day.

"Hey, um. Why didn't you use your weapon when you fought Cardin?" The question flipped the stunned expression onto Bill, the blonde blinking in confusion.

"I ah, wanted to destroy his ego. That, and I hadn't sharpened my blades yet." Came his answer, filled with even more confusion. Ruby's eyes brightened.

"Blades? What kind of weapons do you use? Pistols with knives on the barrels? Swords that turn into spears that shoot fire? Or-or maybe-" The gun nut was interrupted by Bill raising his hand.

"Lass, it's just a pair of swords. No tricks, just simple blade, pommel and hilt." He said with a warm smile, getting a disappointed frown from the girl. She looked at the rest of his team with a hopeful expression.

"Nope, my weapon is just like Bill's, no transforming bits and pieces." Sam quickly answered the silently growing question. His brother grunted in agreement.

"And it was passed down by Father."

"Yup, and all you was that beast of a sword." Sam laughed and shoved his twin's shoulder, only to be thrown out of his seat by Alex's punch.

"What about you?" Weiss spoke up, her arms crossed and eyes on the blind boy still eating. "Does your weapon do anything special?" Raiko glanced up and nodded slowly, returning to his food. The girl huffed at the lack of a vocal answer. "You know, it's very rude to ignore someone-"

"He's mute, princess." Sam snapped at the girl, staring at her with a disgusted scowl. Weiss was struck with a stunned silence, her expression falling.

"O-oh, I'm s-" The girl started, only to be interrupted by Raiko's finger flying from the table in a simple order. Shut up. With that, the boy stood up and grabbed his banner before leaving the conversation. Almost immediately, the twins joined their friend as he made his way towards the exit. Bill let out an awkward chuckle.

"He doesn't take pity well, lass. I'm pretty sure he finds it insulting." He stated, rubbing the back of his head. "I would too, with his past." Ruby cocked her head slightly.

"What happened?" She asked quietly, getting another confused look from the blonde.

"It's not my business to talk about the past with you, sorry lass. If you want to know, you could try and ask Raiko nicely." The boy smirked and stood up, flipping a two fingered salute to the pair. "Catch you two later, eh?"

The leader jogged away from the chatter and down the hall, finding his team marching with quite a bit of anger in their stride.

"Come on, lads. She was just curious." Bill started, throwing his arm back the way they came, causing his blind teammate turned his cold gaze towards him.

"Remember this, Bill. I do not take kindly to that attitude, especially coming from her." Raiko signed with furious gestures.

"Understandable, but we gotta keep a level head around here-" Sam snorted. "-so that we can actually get to the tournament. That's our plan, yeah? So let's not fuck everything up before then, eh lads?"

"There's a problem there." Alex noted with a grunt, the shorter blonde sighed and nodded.

"Yeah. We all know that." He snapped. "The problem is everywhere at the moment, so I don't need you to tell me again." The blonde was spun around, coming face to face with the towering Raiko.

"Watch your tone, we are all together in this place. We are alone." The blind boy signed with an unbreaking stare, Bill tried to match it but quickly turned away.

"You're right, we shouldn't be fighting. Come along, lads, we got a few minutes till the next class." He finally said and jerked his head up the hall, leading the way towards a certain green haired professor's classroom. They opened the door and were immediately greeted by a lanky man in glasses, his clothing was ruffled as if he had just been thrown in a wind tunnel.

"Good morning students! My name is Doctor Oobleck. You are all early, but please come in." Prof- Doctor Oobleck all but threw his words at the group before disappearing in a blur to his desk to take a hearty swig of his thermos. Bill patted his hair back down and muttered about the green haired man's speed, leading his team to the first row of seats.

It was barely a second after the blind giant sat down and the Doctor was in front of them again, though this time leaning over the desk and looking deep into Raiko's eyes. Unlike his leader, the boy didn't bother to adjust his hair.

"That is a very unique banner you have there, I've only read of another of such make in stories. May I see it for a moment?" Oobleck asked in a rush of words. Raiko clenched his fingers around the leaning flagpole and slowly shook his head, glaring at the teacher with a hidden fury. "A shame, but no matter! You will be learning more than me in this lesson." With another burst of speed, Doctor Oobleck was behind his desk and taking another sip of his mysterious drink.

Soon the rest of the class was dribbling into the room, among them were the white, red and blonde haired girls that had approached them during lunch; joined by another girl with black hair. Raiko's attention switched to the noise behind him, a gentle presence.

"Hello Raiko." The rabbit faunus whispered over his shoulder, he turned and smiled at Velvet. "W-would I be able to t-talk to you after class?" Raiko gave a small nod and turned back to the front, just in time for the Doctor to finish writing on the blackboard and for team CRDL to walk in.

The head of the group was holding his head, an ugly purple bruise covering his forehead. Russel was struggling with the aftershocks of his defeat, he jumped as another zapped over his arm. Dove was looking around wildly with his arms hugging his chest fiercely, once cocky now a scared bird. Lastly was Sky, who simply blinked and gripped his head. The class watched the team walk towards them, until the narrow eyed teen suddenly froze in his tracks.

"I- I can't." Was all he said before swiftly making his way towards the door, leaving his puzzled team. After a moment of silence, Alex let out a low chuckle and the teacher sped after the runaway boy.

"Bugger, looks like we might have a free period, eh?" Bill joked, leaning back and resting against the desk behind him. Though he was jesting, neither boy nor teacher had appeared as quickly as many expected. Another ten minutes and nothing. It was nearing fifteen minutes when Raiko sighed silently and glanced over to one of the twins.

 **"I want to see if this place has a music hall."** The blind teen signed at Alex, who gave a grunt and looked at the clock hanging on the wall.

"I honestly doubt this place has one." He noted, looking back to the taller boy.

 **"Then let's hope I'm not too disappointed."** Came the silent reply before Raiko stood and started towards the door, then a voice called out behind him.

"You can't leave yet! We still have class." It was the same annoying pitch that was becoming all too familiar, the heiress. Bill stood up with a groan.

"Princess, there's no teacher to teach a class. Right now, we're sitting here in an empty room for no reason." The blonde boy stressed the last part, though it seemed that she wasn't in the listening mood.

"You still have no right to leave yet." Weiss snapped.

"Eh, Raiko doesn't care for rights." Bill chuckled, throwing his hand at the empty space that the silent giant once stood in. Though it seemed that he wasn't alone in his disappearing act, as a certain beret wearing teen glanced around in search of her faunus friend.

Down the hall, a tall figure marched with banner hand. His clouded eyes searching for the room, his ears trying to pinpoint any musical sound in the air. Alas, Raiko saw the door long before he heard any instruments, he entered and looked around. Dust choked every surface, the once shining brass of trumpets were now dull and that wasn't the worst offence. His eyes trailed over the great King of Instruments, the proudest and most demanding instrument, and now it was reduced to being covered by a raggedy blanket.

The tall blonde marched with anger in his stride and tore the covering off the giant pipe organ, a sneer of disgust on his face as he tossed the thing aside. Raiko slowly calmed himself with a few breaths before gently placing his flagpole aside and taking the stool from under the twin keyboards, seating himself and softly rubbing his fingers across the keys.

They were an ivory colour, like most keys, with a strange addition of golden designs along the black keys. Raiko frowned at the unnecessary details, picking at the golden curls on a particular note. He sighed, shook his head, raised his hands and closed his eyes.

The bellow of the organ echoed through the empty halls, just for a moment. The sound stunned the students, literally in some cases as faunus teens clutched their head in pain. It came again, blasting through the school with a roaring note. Another and another, soon even the foundations shook under the weight of the song.

Raiko moved in a hypnotic dance as his fingers danced and hopped across the keys of the organ. His upper body leaning to the left as he slowly brought the pitch up, taking the rumbling beast and turning it into a gentle hummingbird. He let the highest note hang for a second before slamming back down and summoning an angry stream of music, forcing hearts to drum in tune with its presence. His eyes squeezed shut and his mouth became a snarl as the song neared its end, mixing the deep, thundering sounds with the lighter, gentle ones.

The blonde boy's fingers held the last keys for another long drawn out sound before releasing it, leaning back on the stool and rubbing his fingers together; trying to get some feeling back into them from the surprisingly harsh playing. Another sound, besides the ringing, entered his ears. It was clapping. Raiko spun around with wide eyes and locked onto the brown haired girl behind him.

"T-that was p-pretty good." The rabbit faunus said shyly, both of her long ears plastered to her head. No doubt ringing from such close proximity to the pipe organ's roar. "Q-quite loud." Raiko winced.

 **"I didn't mean to get so loud, I'm very sorry."** He signed with a apologetic smile, only to have Velvet shake her hands in the air.

"It's fine! I m-mean… it was r-really beautiful." She admitted with a blush, stunning the taller boy.

 **"Beautiful?"** He repeated, wearing a look of amazement on his face. It wasn't common for people call his playing beautiful, granted he doesn't play as much now. His musings were interrupted by the door crashing open, with a not so happy looking blonde standing in the entrance.

"Mr. Ultionis, what on a Remnant was that?!" Professor Goodwitch barked at the boy. "I heard in from my office, that was very… impressive. Inappropriate, but impressive." The woman remarked, nodding at the blind teen. Her gaze trailed over the other instruments in the room, all covered and clogged with dust. "It is a pity that nobody has the same interest in learning the arts, all of this and not one student comes in."

The blonde turned and looked at Raiko. "While I won't ban you from using this room, I will suggest you avoid that instrument for the time being; and to come in your free time, not the time spent learning." With that last warning, the strict woman left. Both teens exchanged a glance, then the faunus let out a loud exhale and the boy grinned.

"That went a l-lot better than I expected." Velvet said with a nervous giggle, becoming a blank stare when the taller blonde signed out something.

 **"You said you wanted to talk after class?"** She slapped her forehead.

"Woops, I forgot about t-that. I, uh, was going to, ask, um… there's a-a dance c-coming up and I, um. W-wondering if y-you'd want to g-go w-with m-me?" She squeaked out, trying to cover the blush on her face. Raiko blinked, blinked again, then moved onto his feet. His clouded eyes shifted in a surprised manner, not truly seeing anything. The blind boy stepped forwards and stood in front of the girl, still covering her face with her floppy ears. He swallowed and finally answered.

"Yes." Velvet froze, her blush disappearing to be replaced by shook. She looked up and found the blonde retrieving his banner, his head low. The girl watched the boy leave in a hurry, his eyes locked with the ground and kept far from hers.

"Y-you can talk?" She whispered as Raiko reached the door, halting him in his tracks. The blonde gave a single nod before throwing the door open, leaving an extremely lost faunus alone with dusty instruments and more questions than she expected.


	2. BRAS: Savagery Makes Friends

Morning came, like a leaf on the wind, and revealed a new day. Teens from all corners of the academy were looking for any partners to the upcoming dance, giving BRAS the best excuse to get out of Beacon for a few hours. Thank the Brothers above for weekends. Bill wore his usual smirk as he lead them to the landing pad, joining a few other teams along the way.

"What a bunch of desperate buggers, eh lads?" The leader commented as they watched a boy from Beacon approach a girl from Shade and promptly get ignored and mocked.

"Just a bunch of fools." Alex grunted and crossed his arms, leaning against a lightpost. His brother let out a chuckle.

"Basically describing half of Remnant there." Sam said with a wide grin, then quickly followed Raiko's finger as he pointed up into the sky. "Bullhead inbound." The twin stated with a nod, watching the grey aircraft descend towards the large platform. It landed with a whirring hiss, dropping the back ramp for a pilot to walk out. His visored helmet turned around the assembled group and he raised a hand.

"You, you and you. Collect your teams and hop aboard." The man called out, waving the boys' team and two others onto the ship. Raiko took his position near the window, standing firm as the ramp raised up and the bullhead started to lift off the ground. He pulled at the leather vest he wore, his team joining him in less armoured versions of the gear they wore when they beat down CRDL.

Suddenly, his vision was filled by a pair of blue eyes and a head of red hair. The blonde moved his flagpole to his side and raised an eyebrow, watching the chirpy girl bounce back.

"Hi!" She greeted, her voice quite joyful. "Can I touch your flag?" Raiko frowned, shook his head and held his banner just a little bit closer to his body. "Oh, come on! Just a quick poke?"

"Nora!" A voice barked from behind the pair, revealing himself as a boy with a single pink strand among black hair. The chipper girl giggled and hopped away from the blonde teen.

"Sorry Ren, he's just so mysterious!" Nora said cheerfully as she passed the facepalming boy.

"I'm sorry for that, Nora is very… excitable." The teen spoke with a calm and wise voice, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm Ren, pleasure to meet you." He introduced himself, extending a hand that Raiko took and shook firmly. "If I remember correctly, your name is Raiko?"

" **Yes, you heard from Goodwitch?"** The taller boy signed, only getting a confused look in return.

"I'm afraid I don't understand?" Raiko nodded to himself, frowning slightly and waving the matter off. The black haired boy merely nodded and turned to watch the land fly past, until a loud clang forced him to find and fix whatever his friend just broke. "Nora!"

* * *

The ride ended with almost everything intact, except for Ren's sanity, and the three teams scattered through the city. Bill decided they needed to go see somebody important, so they headed down through the commercial district. The atmosphere was slightly panicked, with many store owners and shopkeeps ordering and moving packages in preparation for the Vytal Festival.

Alongside the rush for products, the recent Dust robberies had crippled a few businesses. One such store had thrown up a for-sale sign, apparently it had lost a bit too much to continue business.

"This is the reason why the kingdoms should concentrate on creating other methods of energy." Alex grunted with an amused look on his face, shaking his head at the building. "Far too dependent on Dust."

"What do you expect? 'If it works, why change it?', that's all those scientists would say." Sam snorted and looked over to Raiko, gesturing at the store. "Think if enough of these places went out of business, so would the hunters?"

" **Not a chance, only if the SDC went down."** The blind boy replied with a smirk, causing the other boy to bark with laughter. Bill chuckled before turning back to remark to his friend, only to slam into something.

"Oi, watch where you're going kid." The object demanded in a slurred rasp, assaulting the blonde boy's nose with an extremely strong scent of alcohol. Bill coughed and waved a hand in front of his face.

"Yeah, sure mate, you just take your head out of your glass. Disgusting mate, disgusting." He hissed, glaring up at the man in front of him.

"You got a mouth on you, kid. I'll give you that." The red eyed drunk nodded in some sort of respect, running a hand through his rough black hair. "Watch yourself, eh?" He advised and stumbled through the other three boys, muttering to himself about finding a ride. Bill let the look of disgust hang on his face for another few seconds before shaking his head.

"That was something, eh?" The boy muttered, feeling a pat on his shoulder.

"Yeah, one hell of a way to encounter a full fledged huntsman." Sam agreed, patting his teammate's shoulder again and jerking his head to the side. "You still have to show us where we're actually going, lead the way Cap'n." Bill smirked at the twin and started up the street again, only to stop in his tracks again. He turned and narrowed his eyes.

"Where's Raiko?"

Where was the silent giant? Calmly browsing the suits inside a small store on a street corner with an inquisitive look on his face. The boy held his flagpole at his side as he gently caressed the fabric of each new shirt, ignoring the curious stare from the clerk at the desk. He eyed up a nice jet black tuxedo, simple on its own, but with the red dress shirt thrown over his arm it would fit quite well.

Raiko hummed and took the coat, laying it over his arm, before moving for a pair of pants. A question continued to hang in his head. Why was he doing this? Getting an entire suit for a dance party, just for a girl. Some little girl? Why? The boy paused in his stride, looking at his shoes as he pondered the question. Was it something she saw it him? Perhaps it was nothing, just a little crush.

"Can I help you with anything?" It was the clerk, looking up at the giant with a puzzled expression. Raiko blinked and waved off the girl, shaking his head free of confusing thoughts. He looked at the clothes in his arms one last time and made his way to the counter. He could at least humour the girl.

The trio of boys were almost ready to split up to find their wayward friend when the tall blonde appeared from thin air, surprising Bill.

"Dah! Bloody hell, Raiko!" The boy cried, stumbling away from the towering teen. "Where on Remnant have you been?" Bill snapped, scowling at him.

" **Shopping."** Was his single 'word' reply. " **Needed a suit for that dance that has everyone running about."** Raiko explained, getting an eyebrow raise from the smaller blonde.

"You're going to that thing? Never would've thought that I'd see you there, mate." Bill admitted, shrugging and crossing his arms. "Hope you've gotten everything everything you wanted, we've wasted enough time looking for you."

" **Lead on then."** The blind boy gestured to the street around them, staring down at the boy with an expecting stare. Bill merely shoved past the teen and marched further down the street, towards a large building with massive shattered window facing them. The team glanced at their leader as he walked towards the building, either he was curious about the broken window or that was where his 'important' friend was hiding.

"He's on a mission, eh?" Sam chuckled, following the blonde with a grin. His brother leaned closer to Raiko.

"Keep your head on a swivel around here." Alex murmured, slowly making his way after the pair. Leaving the blind boy to take a long look around before moving towards the shady establishment, pondering how quickly it would take for somebody to get into a fight. Bill stopped in front of a pair of suited goons, raising an eyebrow.

"Howdy, lads." He greeted, giving a two fingered salute. One of the men pushed himself off the wall and scowled at the teen.

"Club's closed, kid. Take a hike." He ordered in a low sneer, doing little besides putting a smirk on the blonde's face.

"Junior's club never closes, that's a fact. Don't lie to me." Bill chuckled and started towards the doors, getting halted by the goon's hand latching onto his shoulder.

"You deaf? The club's closed, now get lost-" The blonde sent an elbow into the man's liver, winding him and dropping him like a sack of potatoes. The second guard shot to his feet and raised a red machete, finding a fist flying into his throat before he had even opened his mouth to shout.

"Well done, you just beat up a pair of random guards." Alex grunted with an annoyed frown. "For doing their job." His leader shrugged.

"I want in, so I'm going in." He replied without an ounce of regret, flicking a thumb to the now guardless door. His smug grin faded when his eyes passed over Raiko's stoic glare, turning into a look of unease. Bill snapped his gaze back to the double doors, stepping forwards and throwing them open.

It was immediately obvious that the club was closed for a reason. Glass lay shattered, suited goons sat about with bruised wounds and Junior along with his bodyguards slouched at the ruined bar. The blonde whistled and started down the stairs, glancing around the dancefloor.

"Damn, this place got smashed." Sam noted, looking at the completely destroyed wall of glass. He elbowed his twin's arm. "Guess they had one hell of a party, eh?"

"Might've been gang related." The other brown haired teen suggested with a grunt, getting a shrug from his brother. Team BRAS attracted many eyes as they moved towards the bar, though the hateful stares turned to curiosity at the towering Raiko and his banner. The blind giant turned his gaze towards a man behind the counter, leaning against the bartop with a bottle in his hand.

Raiko veered off, leaving the trio to stand in front of the namesake of the club. Junior raised an eyebrow at the smirking blonde, narrowing his eyes at the boy's clothing.

"I thought the two guards at the door were telling everyone that we were closed." The man spat, flinging his hand around and gesturing to his ruined establishment. "You hunters have already done enough."

"Hunters!?" Bill snapped and slammed a fist against the counter, baring a snarl. Alex's hand landed on his leader's shoulder, giving a firm pull to reign the boy back. The blonde glared at the suited man, slowly leaning back and pulling his hand from the sizable dent in the bartop. "What… do you mean by hunters?" He asked calmly, leveling his gaze upon the older man.

Junior swallowed and adjusted his tie, jerking his head at the many weapons aimed at the trio of teens. "A girl came in here, think about a week or so ago. She destroyed everything and as you can see, we're still trying to rebuild this place. Bloody girl wanted information, so she wrecked my club." He explained, barely holding back a venomous tone. "Now you come in, after shaking my men up even more, for what?"

"Information." Bill answered with his usual smirk, a cheerful glint in his eye. The other man sighed, waving the twin girls from his side. "Ah, right. You two, go find something to do." The blonde ordered, flicking a thumb over his shoulder. The brown haired teens stepped back from the pair, moving towards their taller friend who was distracting himself with a number of liquor bottles in front of him.

"You're kidding me, Raiko." Sam exclaimed, snatching one of the empty bottles and glancing at its label. "Atlas Scorch? This stuff can start forest fires." Raiko shrugged and took another swig from the whiskey in his hand, shifting his other hand to itch at his throat. Sam chuckled. "Fucking maniac." The twin glanced up and found his brother talking with a grunt nearby, both sat next to a bear head.

"You had a huntress problem?" Alex greeted as he watched the man sip away at a glass of orange liquid.

"Eeyup, just my luck that I'd get my arse beat by a busty blonde." The goon sarcastically answered, dryly smirking to himself. "She didn't even stick around to see she had killed anybody, typical."

"Typical?" The brown haired teen echoed with a raised eyebrow, getting a grunt from the man.

"No offence, but hunters are bloody useless when it comes to actual people. Like, do they forget that we aren't Grimm? We don't just disappear, not like that." He snapped his fingers, looking sideways at the boy. "You're not arguing." The man noted.

"No need, I'm no hunter." Alex responded with a cold stare.

"Heh, a huntsman-in-training, right?" The goon chuckled. "Listen, I'm just a DJ, but do me a favour and don't be a dipshit, yeah?" The brown haired boy grunted.

"Consider it done." The man looked up with a raised eyebrow before barking with laughter.

"You're a sharp guy. Name's Harold, DJ for the local gang." He stated with a nod and a raise of his glass.

"Alex." Was all the teen said, getting a scoff from the man.

"Nothing else? No titles?" Harold asked, leaning in with a grin. Alex snorted and shook his head.

"Just a normal teen in Vale." Came his reply, igniting another fit of laughter from the DJ.

"I'm just about the most exciting person in this conversation. I got thrown from up there-" He pointed to a wrecked booth above the dance floor. "-broke a rib or two, watched the twins get their teeth pushed in and Junior booted out the window." The twin blinked in shock.

"A huntress hit a civilian through a window?" He asked with a surprised grunt.

"Eeyup." Harold replied, nodding as if it was a normal day. Alex shook his head and leaned back on the stool.

"Typical hunters, always causing a mess." The pair let out low chuckles, continuing their own conversation as Raiko drank like a desperate man while Sam looked on in mock disappointment. Leaving only Bill as he spoke in low tones with the boss.

"No."

"Junior-"

"No." The man snapped, planting a finger against the bartop. "You could've asked for anyone else, literally anyone in Remnant. Of course, you chose her." He glared at the smirking teen across from him.

"Come on, Junior, pal. You know everything, you should know a bit about the witch herself." Bill said, sending the suited into a state of red faced annoyance.

"Don't say that around here, she has ears everywhere." Junior hissed, getting only a laugh from the teen.

"Scared of fairy tales, mate? You should've grown out of those old stories, everyone else has." The blond smiled sweetly. "So where did the witch come from? An old cave? The swamp?" The other man sighed, dragging his hand down his face.

"All I know is that she came into town with a pair of henchmen, came up with a deal with Roman and apparently she even has the White Fang in her pocket." Junior whispered, glancing around in an overly cautious way.

"That's all you know?" Bill asked with a doubtful expression, getting only a grunt from the man. "Guess I should've expected that, eh? She always was mysterious. Hell, during our first meeting all she did was smile and stand on the sidelines." The blond explained as he reached for a glass, shaking it for a refill. Junior rolled his eyes and pulled a bottle from beneath the bartop. "Cheers."

"Don't mention it." The older man as the boy downed the drink, stood up and whistled loudly. Sam and Raiko slipped from the bar and marched over to their leader swiftly, Alex took his time saying his goodbyes but soon appeared next to the trio.

"Let's get moving, boys." Bill twirled on his heel and led the way back up to the doors, leaving Junior to nurse his head as he realised he might've made more trouble for himself.

* * *

The boys in brass reached the landing pads within a few minutes, finding it empty except for another team waiting for their ride home. Bill leaned against a nearby bench and crossed his arms, looking back at the city. He felt something appear next to him and found his giant friend looming over his shoulder.

"Yes, Raiko?" The shorter blonde asked, adopting a frown as the blind boy glared at him.

" **You should hold your tongue in these unfamiliar lands."** Raiko signed with a scowl, causing the other boy to recoil in confusion.

"What? Why? Because I'm curious about our very friendly ally?" He snapped in return. The taller boy took a step forwards, towering even taller over Bill.

" **Danger lies everywhere in this place, do not make unnecessary enemies."** The pair stared at each other for a moment, eyes locked in a silent battle. Luckily, their staring contest ended when both the third team and the bullhead approached the landing pad. Raiko watched his leader stomp away, ever so slightly frowning as the boy shoved aside Sam.

Besides the confrontation on the ground, the trip back to Beacon went smoothly. Even the redhead valkyrie didn't cause too much hassle, besides almost giving her friend a heart attack twice. Either way, the boys were back in uniform and scattered around the academy, wasting time in their own ways. With the gentle sounds of piano echoing through the halls, the song escaped as a faint whisper into the grounds outside.

Both of the twins were sitting in the gardens, one whittling away at a hunk of wood and the other calmly listening to the distant piano. Sam flicked a loose bit of wood from his knife before hunching over and gently slicing a sliver from the rounded chunk of oak, quietly humming to himself as he worked. His brother was staring at nothing, his eyes locked forwards.

The pair were unfortunately joined by a not so friendly group of boys, leading the way was a particularly angry fellow. "Hey you!" He barked at the brothers, interrupting their peace and quiet. The knife wielding twin glanced up and smiled at the other teen.

"Why hello there. Fancy seeing you around these parts, eh?" Sam greeted the brown haired bully, mockingly bowing at him. Cardin just sneered at the boy before turning to Alex.

"You. You did something to Dove, now you're going to fix it." He ordered, poking the seated twin's chest.

"No." Was his only response, inciting an angry huff from the bigger bully who decided to try his luck at intimidation.

"Listen here, you little shit. If you don't help my friend here, I'll make your life a living hell." Cardin threatened, raising and poking a finger into Alex's chest. All he got was a deep chuckle from his 'victim'. Alex stood up and looked at the shivering boy behind Russel, grunting at the boy.

"The fear will disappear in another day, you will suffer through it." With that last comment, the man of few words walked away. Leaving a smirking twin and an infuriated brown-haired bully in the gardens, still catching the faintest sound of piano from the academy's halls. Opposing the peace were the sounds of heavy punches coming from the gym, a place where sweat was mass produced.

Five punches flew at a padded bag, another two came from the left and the next swung from the right. The blonde clenched his teeth and threw one last punch, snapping the chain and throwing the punching bag across the floor. Bill cracked his neck and stomped over to the bag, throwing it onto his shoulder and moving it towards the edge of the room. He slammed the padding down with a thunderous bang, making a few of the other boys jump.

"This stuff is useless, well and truly useless." Bill said with an amused smile, looking around for something else to do. His gaze landed on another blonde who was staring at him with a certain glint in her eye, she waved him over. "This is trouble." He muttered and approached the girl, and the ring she stood in.

"I see you punched that bag pretty hard, want to hit something else?" She questioned with a wink, wearing a cheeky grin. Her eyes still holding that taunting look within their purple orbs.

"Let's hope you can take a hit, lass." Bill sneered as he vaulted over the ropes, slowly walking past the girl and striping his singlet off. The other blonde whistled, though the boy ignored it and turned on his heel to stare at her.

"Already getting undressed? You haven't even asked me out to dinner." Yang giggled, raising her arms into a boxing stance.

"Rules?" BRAS' leader asked, only getting a smirk for an answer. Bill shrugged and extended a fist, keeping his other arm up to guard his face. The pair stood glaring at each other for a moment, then the fiery blonde lunged forwards with a furious haymaker. Her grin was unbreaking as she swung, her fist nearing his exposed right cheek.

Then she was on her back, breathless and heaving. The girl curled into a fetal position as Bill retracted his fist, held at just the right height to smash Yang's liver. He sighed and shook his head at the winded girl.

"I thought you could take hit, lass. My mistake, sorry." The boy said sheepishly, leaning down and offering his hand. She took it and, with a groan, clambered to her feet. Bill was halfway down to grab his shirt when Yang flicked out her scroll and shouted.

"How the-? My Aura's in the red?!" Her eyes were locked on the boy when he turned back around, very angry and red eyes. "What did you do?" She hissed at the other blonde.

"I hit you." Bill answered calmly, in a very matter of fact tone. The girl started towards him, stopping only when he raised a finger. "You should know your own limits, lass. I only gave you a lil' love tap." Both teens stared at each other, frowning and glaring. Until Yang snorted and Bill cracked a grin, the pair exploded with laughter.

"You're not too bad." The fiery blonde admitted, nodding at her fellow blonde in admiration. "But my jokes hold a bit more of a Yang, eh?" Like that, Bill was scowling again.

"That was truly despicable, one of the worst I've ever heard and I'm the comedic genius." He stated as his opponent giggled to herself.

"How did you manage to hit me hard enough to knock me into the red?" She asked with a smirk and raised eyebrow, amused yet curious.

"Hmm? Oh, that was easy, lass. We've been training for awhile now, few decades you'll be tearing limbs off." Yang blinked in surprise, recoiling as she played back what she just heard.

"Decades?" The girl echoed, frowning firmly as she realised something. "But you're only eighteen."

"Aye, probably." Bill nodded, promptly jumping over the ropes and walking off. Yang watched the boy with a narrow gaze, very much suspicious of the strange teen. She huffed and vaulted the ring, jogging over to the changing rooms. Maybe she'll figure out this feeling later, maybe.

* * *

The music hall soon fell silent and Raiko was roaming the halls, stomping past hordes of students from the many schools around Remnant. His towering presence made it very easy for the boy to move through the school, like a knife through butter the crowds parted before the banner. His gaze was locked dead ahead, until a glint from outside blinded him. The blonde turned and found the shining object in question, a piece of golden metal poking out from behind a tree.

Raiko paused before turning around and marching back up the hall towards the exit, his face now unexpectedly excited. His banner was gently swaying in the breeze as the giant marched towards the oaken tree. The man sitting below the leaves glanced up with a startled grunt, placing a golden coin into his pocket and quickly standing up.

"Ave!" He greeted with a salute, slapping a closed fist against his other forearm, forming something similar to a martial arts bow. Raiko smiled and returned the motion, only hitting his other fist; currently locked around the flagpole. "Great to see you again, sorry but it's just a report." The man said with a apologetic smile, pulling around a satchel hanging from his shoulder. He dug around for something then yanked out a letter. "Well, this was the most difficult delivery yet. Hope that report is about something good."

"Hopefully, take care out there." Raiko leaned in and whispered, nodding at the messager with a look of extreme respect in his clouded eyes. The other man flicked a two finger salute from his brow, adjusting his hood and grinning.

"Good luck." He said and glanced left to right before running off, leaving the blind boy to look at the letter in his hand. Raiko smirked as he walked back towards the doorway, sliding the half read report into his shirt pocket. Now he was hungry. The giant made headway and appeared in the cafeteria, his frame surprising the few teens that were still in the hall. His journey for food ended quickly with a tray of food in one hand, he sat at an empty table

His meal was already halfway down his maw when somebody joined him, seating themselves across from him. The boy swallowed his mouthful and gently wiped his lip with his thumb, finally sitting straight and staring at his company. It was a familiar face, one hidden behind a pair of sunglasses.

"We meet again." Coco stated, a serious frown on her face. She lowered her glasses with a delicate finger and frowned. "Listen up, hun. Velvet seems very interested in you for some reason. Now, while I wouldn't give a damn if it was anyone else, I do care about what my teammates are doing." Raiko silently stared at her with a bored gaze. "I'll cut to the chase for you."

Suddenly, the girl was in his face, leaning over the table. "If you hurt her in any way, I will end you. Got that, hun?" Her warning was heard, and promptly ignored as the blonde teen gave a small smile. Coco narrowed her eyes and hopped off the table, raising her glasses onto her nose. "Make sure she has a good night." She finished and stormed off, still feeling that hateful glare locked on her head.

Luckily, the mood was cheery with the twins of his team. Their strides in sync as they waltzed through the gardens.

"I'm assuming that kid bothered you after I left?" Alex started with a sneer.

"Aye, thought him and his gang were tough guys. He got all huffy when I flicked him and his boys the bird, like his face was proper red." Sam laughed and patted his brother on the back. "Think that guy you hit will recover?"

"Probably." The twin grunted in return, shaking his head a few times. "He deserves it, hopefully it puts something in his head."

"What? Regret or something?" Sam grinned, watching as his brother chuckled deeply.

"What else?" The pair looked at each other before erupting with laughter, turning down another stone path as they giggled to themselves. Alex wiped a finger under his chin before humming. "I think Raiko's planning something." The other brown haired boy frowned in confusion.

"He's always-"

"No, I mean with Bill, remember his face when we left the club?" Sam grunted.

"Yup, something scary in those eyes." The conversation ended, though not by simply dropping the subject. Instead, the pair were dragged into the bushes to the side of the path. Alex was midway through throwing a punch when he realized it was a student who had grabbed them, a blonde girl with large assets. He narrowed his eyes at her raised hands.

"Easy boys, I just had a few questions about your friend." Yang stated quickly, getting the boy to at least lower his hand. The twins exchanged glances before properly dropping their tense stances, with Sam crossing arms and jerking his head at the girl.

"We could certainly answer some questions, just need a name first." He cheerfully added with a grin.

"Your leader, Bill. How does he hit so hard?" Her question flew at the brothers, almost shocking them.

"Really? That's easy to answer, he trained." Sam answered easily. "We all did, trained for a good couple years and now we hit like 'roided Goliaths. It's how we beat those bastards in class so easily." The blonde had a look of concentration on her face, then she asked another question.

"Could you teach me how you hit so hard?" It was Alex who answered, simply grunting in amusement.

"We can't do that, Raiko could. Maybe. Though he wouldn't do it for free."

"So what you're saying is I have to beat him in a fight, right?" Both of the twins blinked in blank confusion.

"I-I guess?" The other brother hesitantly answered, watching a grin spread over Yang's face. She nodded a few times before turning on her heel.

"Guess I gotta find the big lug, eh?" Like that, she was gone and the twins were left flabbergasted. Only one exchanged look and the pair were sprinting off to find their giant of a friend, and hopefully convince him not to punch out a stubborn girl. Bill already knew what was coming when he saw the blonde appear before him, her eyes alight with something dangerous. He raised an eyebrow at Yang before finally speaking.

"You need something, lass?" The boy asked curiously, grinning at her with a smug look. "Don't tell me you want to try your hand at another spar." The blonde shook her head firmly.

"Nope, I want to have a team on team fight. RWBY versus… what's your team's name again?"

"BRAS, the metal kind." Came her answer, nice and simple. Yang waved her hand through the air.

"So you against us, you in?" She asked impatiently, tapping her fingers against the table. Bill leaned back in his seat and frowned.

"Shouldn't your leader be organizing this with me, why do you even want a fight?" The girl merely shrugged.

"Ruby won't mind and do I really need a reason? Come on, unless you're too chicken?" She taunted, getting a laugh out of the blonde boy.

"Sure, why not. Give me five minutes to gather the boys, we'll give you a show lass. Don't be late." Bill cheerfully warned and stood up, flicking out his Scroll and marching out of the cafeteria. In his wake, a grinning blonde girl with a deathwish. Elsewhere, about a minute later, a trio of boys were storming through the few students still in the halls.

"Alright, I'll admit that I think this is a bad idea." Sam said in a surprisingly nervous voice, his brother grunting in agreement. The giant they flanked let out a mute huff.

" **Which part? Bill calling us to the arena, or the fact there's apparently a suicidal girl wanting to fight me?"** Raiko signed sarcastically, glancing back at the pair. Alex shrugged.

"I'd say that girl is desperate." He said, adding his own two cents into the conversation.

"Aye, especially if she wants to fight you." The other brown haired boy hit Raiko's shoulder, causing the taller boy to shake his head.

" **Either way, we'll put an end to that desperation. Hopefully."** He signed as an afterthought, shoving aside another huntsman-in-training with his blank emotionless face. The group found that they weren't the first to the arena, as the all girls team stood to the side and Bill leaned against one of the benches. He immediately stood up when the door opened, approaching them with an evil smirk.

"Righto lads, here's what's happening-"

" **The blonde wants a fight, so she dragged her team into it."** Raiko interrupted with a narrow gaze. " **So you let her drag us into it."** The shorter blonde scoffed and shook off the accusation.

"I thought it'd be a good bit of exercise, beat up a few more hunters and ruin somebody's day." He explained, only to have Alex grunt in annoyance.

"You've ruined my day." The inevitable confrontation stopped when they heard an angry cry from the other team, Bill turned back to his own group with an expression of impatient irritation

"It's too late to back out now, boys. You can have a go at me after this, yeah?" His friends hesitantly nodded, growing a smile on the blonde boy's face. He returned the nods and twisted around. "Oi! Are we doing this or not, girlies?" His taunt instantly turned heads, and the girl in the red cape pouted.

"Just a second!" She called back, turning to her team and no doubt trying to do what BIll just did. While it took a moment longer, eventually her team all turned and started towards the changing rooms. Bill looked at his friends before muttering.

"Give 'em a fighting chance, lads. Seven minutes, tops." With that, the four teens made way to their locker rooms. Plates of brass firmly locked together, straps of leather latched and helmets covering faces. Weapons shone in angry fists and breaths came in misty vapour, the team was ready for a fight.

The darkness might've hid their forms, but it did nothing to hide their heavy footsteps and rattling chainmail. Raiko saw the girl in red flinch with each echoing footfall, all in harsh, disciplined sync. He felt the light cover his arms as his stomped out of the dark, banner held in an iron grip and denting the ground as it dropped with every second stride.

Alex was beside him, the most faithful executioner. His squarish sword was almost attached to his shoulder, leaving his fist free to pound at his chestplate with dull, sharp clanks. The other twin, Sam, mimicked his leader; praising the heavens with his halberd held upright and preparing to lay judgement down. Bill merely assisted with the beating, smashing his fist against his left forearm for a chattering jury. His twin swords at his sides.

Their helmeted vistages were already a stunning sight, now the wave of vapour that escaped appeared almost monstrous. Like a bull, raring to charge its prey. The giant made one last step before planting the banner into the floor at his side, staring directly at the black haired girl with his chest held high and slowly moving with heaving breaths. Alex hauled his blade from his shoulder and took his place, fingers tapping the grip as he stared down the shortest member of the enemy team.

Sam was less formal, taking his weapon in both hands and leering at the white haired heiress, barbaric in stature. Bill himself took position right next to Raiko, flipping the latches on his sheaths off and gripping the handles. His eyes were locked on the blonde girl opposite him, her sights on his giant ally. Both teams glared at each other, waiting for the automatic timer to buzz the fight into the arena. It came without warning, though there was no hesitation in either team as they made their moves.

Almost off the bat, Bill twisted around his taller friend and lunged at Ruby, throwing himself right in front of Weiss' incoming thrust and wiping her sword aside with his mystical cloak. Alex took his chance to fling his greatsword across his body, sending a sweeping blow against the remaining three girls in their way. Putting the black haired teen of RWBY in Sam's warpath,who thonked her forehead with the blunt of his polearm. Her eyes glowed with surprise as the boy twirled through the air, raising the halberd high as he came back down to crush her.

Yang attempted to get a punch off at the frozen form of Raiko, only to feel a cold arm appear around her waist and yank her backwards. The blonde's eyes widened as she stumbled back, narrowly punching the descending blade coming from the other twin. She scowled and charged forth, trying her best to get close to Alex. Unfortunately, he was little interested in having close contact, and he heaved his blade for a mighty blow against the girl's abdomen; once again sending her away from the fight.

Her gaze flicked to her sister, who was dashing away from the other cloaked teen; his weapon blurring through the air as he chased Ruby down. It shifted to the Ice-Princess, who seemed to be on her own against the slowly approaching giant. Weiss was rapidly throwing her glyphs around the boy, each time another appeared Raiko banged his banner against the floor, letting the haunting echo distract her from forming the strange symbols. Finally, the white haired girl lunged forwards with a surprise thrust.

Unfortunately, the giant was all too happy to latch his free hand around her wrist; halting the thin sword inches from his chestplate. Her surprised gaze turned upwards to his visor, just moments before she was brought closer then promptly discarded into the air; right into Sam's swing, the strike throwing the teen into her teammate, knocking the pair into a pile while their leader let out a cry of shock.

"No! Monochrome!" She cried, ducking under a swift lunge from her fellow huntsman. "Ah!" The girl felt her Aura recoil from the unexpected kick that flew immediately after the missed strike, its weighty contact sneaking into her ribs. Ruby narrowed her eyes and rolled backwards, firing her sniper rifle directly into Bill's leg. The boy grunted, barely stopping before he brought his longsword down in an attack that would clearly miss. If not for the recoil, Ruby would've felt the sting of his cape flapping into her face. "Stop that!"

Bill cracked his neck and stomped towards the tiny girl, shifting his swings from left to right as he bore down upon the huntress. Ruby's Aura flashed with each blow, falling closer and closer to the red until she threw out a wild swing with her gigantic scythe, already knowing she had just made a grave mistake. The blonde boy swirved under the curved blade and returned with a furious uppercut, right to the smaller girl's gut. Barely a minute into the fight and the Aura bell dinged once, signalling that Ruby was out of the fight. The sound distracted Yang for a moment, just enough time for Alex to release one of his hands from his mighty sword and deliver a swift but harsh backhand to the sister's cheek.

The blonde fell and started to rise again, only to feel a hand grab a handful of her mane and a following knee smash into her jaw. With rage and stars clouding her vision, and ringing filling her ears, Yang could do little except cry out in defeat as the twin that stood above her raised his guillotine-like sword and come down with a crushing strike from the flat of his blade. Again, the bell rang.

"Blake, be careful. Stay together." The white haired girl warned as the remaining pair moved closer, with Weiss taking position in front; staring down the entire team of armoured teens-no… these were monsters, and they were the prey. Her rapier flicked out at the incoming twins, flashing against their prodding blades. Sam let out a bark of laughter, planting his polearm into the floor in a fit of excitement.

"Raiko! Lock 'em down for me, please?" He begged in a sarcastic voice, looking back at his giant friend and shaking his free hand; like he was trying to get rid of a stinging pain. Raiko merely stared forwards, locking unseen eyes with the heiress' own, and gave the floor a single, loud tap of his flagpole. His hand extended from the banner's shaft, pointing at the last two girls with a threatening authority.

Weiss felt her legs seize up, glancing down she found one of her own glyphs on the ground. Her eyes instantly snapped back to the silent bannerman behind the knightly trio, his gaze just as unfeeling as his cold armour. Sam let out a loud laugh and reached his free hand back, imitating a javelin thrower's pose. His armour shone golden as sparks of orange lightning burst from his hand, forming an entire spear in his palm.

"W-what?" Was all Blake could stutter before the brown haired boy threw the bolt at their feet, saying one last word as the lightning left his hand.

"Catch." Four minutes, four dings and four teens wiped out, this was a victory for BRAS. The lights snapped on, bathing the groaning girls in white light. Bill pushed his blades into their sheaths and yanked his helmet off, smiling and offering a hand to the nearby Ruby. She took it and found herself upright within seconds, not helping the aching pain in her torso.

"Sorry about that lass, forgot my own strength for a moment." The boy apologised with a soft grin. Fortunately, the younger teen accepted it.

"It's ow-fine, I was just surprised!" She stated, pouting at the chuckling blonde. "That was a good fight."

"Aye, you put up quite the fight, lass." Bill nodded in respect, patting the caped girl on the shoulder. "Just need to work on moving away from the danger." He joked, taking the punch the pouting girl threw at him. Behind him, the twins were assisting the shaking pair of girls off the floor.

"You all good? Heart fluttering? Heart even going?" Sam was questioning Blake, glancing at her with a cheerful expression. The girl shuddered and glared at the boy.

"I-I'm fine." She hissed, almost immediately feeling a shock run over her already low Aura. Next to them, the other brown haired teen was being hounded by the white haired Weiss. Her anger at their downfall may have been directed at Raiko, though Alex was a fine scapegoat.

"Your friend cheated! Your friend's Semblance is throwing lightning, there's no feasible way that he can create glyphs! That's been in the Schnee family for- forever!" The heiress snapped, flicking a finger to the taller teen's helmeted face; her eyes locked with where she thought the twin's eyes were.

'Raiko doesn't cheat." Alex grunted with an amused tone. "He brings victory." That did little to simmer the smaller girl's rage, at least her words were directed at him and not the blind giant. The mute teen marched over to Yang, who sat cross legged on the floor. She wore an expression of both shock and suspicion, glaring at the floor until his brass boots entered her vision.

She tilted her head up and stared at the boy, silently fuming with narrow eyes. Raiko flipped his visor open, gave the blonde a grin and lower a hand towards her. Yang raised an eyebrow at the action, giving the taller teen the sneaking suspicion that the girl would hit him, then she smirked and grabbed the offered hand.

"That was a pretty cool move." She whispered and started to lean closer to him, eyes slowly closing. Raiko shoved the blonde back, an echoing grunt escaping him. Her eyes snapped open, mouth hung open in surprise. His eyes were blaze, rage clear as day. The arena went silent, all eyes on the boy as he turned and swiftly marched into the locker rooms. Thanks to him, nobody saw the shadowy figure slip back out through the door.

Raiko paced inside the music hall, each step echoing with an audible clang. He stopped, twisted on his heel, then took off in his angry stride again. His mind ran with muddled thought. How dare that girl think she could do that? It wasn't natural, it was simply wrong. Thankfully, his mind was put to rest when the door opened and another pair of boots entered the room.

"So, you're him." The newcomer stated, his voice a uniquely accented rumble. "Never thought I'd meet the head of this little faction, not this early at least." The blind boy turned and gave the visitor a nod.

"And I thought I'd never meet our first Mainland soldier before he died." He said calmly, letting a respectful smile bloom across his face.

"Yet here I am." The other man said with a shrug, crossing his muscled arms.

"Yet here you are." Raiko echoed. "From White Fang grunt to a respectable individual, a welcome change isn't it?"

"Heh." The man scoffed, leaning against a nearby piano. "It is a… acceptable change. No more needless bloodshed in the name of some ignorant idiot, no more faunus blood spilt for him."

"But now you shed blood in the name of a foreign army?" Raiko noted, getting another shrug in return.

"Not innocent blood." He grunted in return. "Captain wanted me me to explain the rest of the report, said to 'Add the fun details'." The blonde chuckled and nodded a few times, fishing out the letter from his pocket.

"That does sound like Glare, let's hear it then. From the top, what happened on that mountain?"


	3. BRAS: Burning of Mt Glenn

_Ave, meum Dux_

 _Our newest auxiliary has shown his loyalty. Almost forgot he was a high rank among those terrorists, sent him to meet you in a few hours. Mt. Glenn was taken easily, slight resistance, didn't stop us. Objective was secured as ordered, along with a large amount of Dust and vehicles. No casualties._

 _Vester fratris_

 _Captain Glare_

* * *

The man tugged at the straps of his shoulder armour, pushing his bottom lip out as he trapped the leather through the buckle under his bicep. He quickly pulled at the brass manica to ensure it was fastened before reaching down to the floor and picking up his mask, gently rubbing a tanned finger over its almost golden surface. It was turned over and placed over his face, the band at the back tightened until it pressed snuggly against his cheeks. The tent flap was tossed open and a large, yet shadowy, man poked his head inside.

"Up and at 'em, auxiliary. Captain's been asking for you, better get over to him." He barked, jerking a finger at the man. "Don't think you get off easy for being the newcomer!" With a laughing fit, the shady figure slipped out and the man inside stood up. His hand reached down for one last item, his weapon, the second gift from his previous.. occupation. The man latched the sword to his back and ducked out of the small tent.

The camp was bustling, soldiers were marching past in rows of ten, runners ferried messages and dull blades while men were kicked into shape by their fellows. The auxiliary dodged another jogging column and walked down through a row of tents. His hardened eyes found a familiar sight, another soldier in plated armour who held a large cross made of steel. Their unique helmet turned to face him.

"Ave, Scar. Optio Cassius was looking for you, suppose he found you?" He spoke with a calming voice, one that oozed wisdom and a sense of regal authority. It makes sense that his greathelm wore a crown that around the top, it was dull silver against brass plate.

"Rook. Cassius found me alright, the Captain wants me for something." Scar replied, chuckling under his mask. "You finally get that dent out of your shield?" The other man snorted in amusement.

"Not yet, who knew a literal anvil on a stick would do that much damage to a Auraless shield?" He asked sarcastically, sharing a laugh with the auxiliary. Another trooper joined the duo, wearing similar gear to Scar, and spoke quickly.

"Devrok, got that shield ready for you." He reported, turning on his heel and jogging away from the happily sighing man.

"Finally, guess this is where we part ways." Devrok laughed, pulling his flagpole from the dirt and nodding at the other man. "I'll catch you around, Scar."

"Likewise, Rook." The other man returned the nod, continuing past the many soldiers of the mountainous camp. He came upon a larger tent in a slight clearing, guarded by a pair of heavily armoured legionaries. They spotted him and moved aside, one of them struck the doorway behind them; no doubt to alert the man within.

Scar entered the tent, eyes locked on the man seated behind a small desk. He rested his feet on the table with a blank expression, staring at him from underneath his cap. "Auxiliary, you're early." The Captain noted, amused. "You had ties with the White Fang before you came here, correct?"

"Yes, Captain, I did." Scar answered firmly, crossing his arms over his padded chest. The man opposite him gave a slow nod and blinked.

"Then you know about Mt. Glenn, and the operation there." He continued. "A White Fang cell is working out of the ruins, Dust gets moved there in truckloads at the end of every week. Apparently there's been sightings of a human criminal there, is this all correct?" His eyes shone with curiosity, peering up at the man.

"...Yes." He grunted. The Captain remained silent, though moved his feet off the desk and leaned forward.

"Our objective is to eliminate those terrorists and take the mountain." Scar stiffened slightly, something that the seated man noticed quickly. "You understand what this means, correct?"

"I'll need to kill my own kind." Captain Glare gave a low snort.

"No, you'll need to kill terrorists. They have lost the right to be called faunus or human, they are little more than crazed beasts." The auxiliary carefully shifted his weight between his feet. "You have been with us for a month, you have seen how we fight. Today we'll see how much we truly need you around."

"So this is a test?" The other man asked cautiously.

"Yes." Was the simple answer.

"Then what will I be doing?" The man behind the desk stood up, wearing a very small grin.

"You're going to meet some old friends, lieutenant."

* * *

The mountain was foggy, the morning was damp and the day was already boring. Out on the streets was a trio of faunus extremists, dresses in grey vests and wearing white masks over their eyes; masks with a sinister resemblance to monsters. They stood next to a ruined house, two of the trio leaned against it while their last member paced slowly down the street.

Only a few feet away, crouched in the shadow of another ruin, Scar peered at the group. His eyes scanned around for any more of their kind before he stood up and inhaled deeply, looking to the opposite side of the street at the other auxiliaries. Their masks and visors, dim in the morning light, stared back expectantly. He took another deep breath and marched out from behind the wall, stomping towards the three grunts. The auxiliary made it about halfway towards them when he was spotted.

"Hey, who goes- Lieutenant?" The woman trailed off in a shocked statement, lowering her pistol and gazing at the large man. Her companions quickly stood at her side, weapons dangling from surprised hands. "W-where have you been? Adam was sending out search parties for weeks, he's been out of it, sir."

"There's been rumours that you turned on us, sir. That you followed the Belladonna girl." One of the others muttered spitefully, sneering at the man. Scar glared at him as he approached, passing through a ray of sunshine that lit his mask up like a bonfire. The last grunt raised a hand to his bone-white mask, covering his eyes from the suddenly blinding reflection.

"Damn, boss. When'd you get that thing plated? Is that gold or something?" He spoke with a sense of awe, stepping towards the familiar face until the second goon stopped him.

"You once said that only humans would be so wasteful of metals, are you even the Lieutenant?" Now Scar was two more steps away from the trio, so he made his move.

"You would doubt me? Even as I stand before you as a member of the White Fang Guard?" He barked in his accented rumble, glaring down at the suspicious faunus and watching him recoil back.

"The Guard? I-I thought… I-I mean, you're one of Sienna's own bodyguards now?" The man stuttered, running a hand through his hair. "Man, I feel like an idiot now."

"Mhm. How many shipments have entered the underground?" Scar asked as he looked past the trio and spotted the squad moving into a nearby building, blinking as the rising sun hit the scope of one of their rifles. It was the youngest that answered.

"Oh, pretty sure the latest batch is still coming in about half an hour. Should be two trucks, it was a good haul this week." The auxiliary nodded, raising a hand and scratching his head as the other goon started to raise a good question.

"Wait, if you're a Guard then why are you-" Her suspicion exploded out of her head in a bloody, mess of gore. Scar flinched as the other two terrorists met the same fate, brain matter flowing from bloody holes the size of cricket balls. The auxiliary knelt down at the youngest's side, giving a solid tap to the boy's bloody chest with his fist. He glanced up and waved at the sniper in the window, standing up and quickly jogging away from the body. Behind him, the sounds of other soldiers dragging the bodies away rung dull in his ears.

"Two trucks in a half hour." Scar reported to the crouching man in the doorway, pointing down the road. "That's the way they'll come, should only be a driver and passenger each." He stated, wiping his hand down his black vest, staining it with a faint crimson colour. His old subordinate's blood.

"Roger dodger. I must say, you're fitting in right well." The other man noted, chuckling from behind his visored skullcap. "Take a breather, we'll keep an eye out for anymore bastards." Scar held his tongue and nodded, beginning to turn away when he felt a hand land on his shoulder. "It's always hard the first time, you keep your head in the game, it'll be over before you know it."

"Thanks." Scar grunted, finally walking across the street and entering another old building. It looked like it was the start of a convenience store, torn boxes were scattered everywhere and a few cans were here and there. The auxiliary pulled up an old seat and stared at the floor, taking the time to ponder on his thoughts.

What he was doing was right, it was just. These knights fought for something, just like the White Fang used to. Now, on the path that Adam has lead them, they were now the problem. It was good that he followed that stranger, now he could fight for something just. Or at least fight for a consequence of that justice. Peace among faunus and humans. It felt like only a few seconds, but time flew past and the sound of rumbling engines grew louder.

Scar leapt off his chair and made long strides out the door, out onto the street where he twisted on his heel and glared at the slowly approaching trucks.

"Hey, Scar." Someone called from his right, the same auxiliary from the doorway; now holding a white mask in his hands. The man tossed it at him, giving a brief explanation. "Put that on for now, should draw a bit less attention. Stop the trucks." Scar gave the new mask a once over and pulled it over his eyes, slipping his own off and tucking it in his belt.

The trucks slowed to a stop as their lights lit up the lone man in the dim sun, his arms crossed and mouth set in a stoic line. Scar slowly glanced to the side, giving the squad a little nod before staring back at the vehicle's occupants. One of the doors opened and another White Fang terrorist hopped out, angrily gesturing at the man.

"Where's the rest of you lot? There's always three, where's the other two fuckheads?" He barked, following the finger that Scar pointed to his right. "Who the-" The goon stumbled back as his body was suddenly riddled with holes, falling to the overgrown cobblestones with a wet thud. Ten more rattling bangs sounded and the trucks were theirs, although with a bit of blood and three bodies.

"David, Manius take the wheel. Scar you're with me, the rest of you pill in the back." The head auxiliary ordered, appearing beside him with a friendly punch to the shoulder. "I hope you know how to drive." He said with an awkward laugh, scratching the back of his head. Scar gave the man a sideways glance and took off his borrowed mask.

"I guess this is a test to see if I can taxi you around the place." He muttered, climbing into the first truck while the other auxiliaries split up between the transports. The engine was started and the two trucks were back on track, minus a few White Fang goons.

"Captain, vehicles are secured and we're on route to the underground. Better start coming around now, this place is going to shit real soon." The auxiliary riding shotgun warned into his radio, exchanging a look with Scar. "Our new man is still kicking."

"Good. There's no longer any need for stealth, go loud when you reach the entrance. We will be there in three." Came the response, calm and filled with static.

"See you soon, sir." The soldier clicked his radio off and sat back in his seat, tapping his sword against his shoulder. It was a strange thing, short but solidly build; it was double edged but clearly made for thrusting. The old lieutenant let out a grunt, peering at the road; finding the other man staring at him from the corner of his eye. "What is it?"

"I still don't know your name." Scar remarked, turning at a street corner and looking at the auxiliary. "You all know me, I only know three maybe four of you." He stated with an annoyed grunt.

"You sound like a kid, but the name's Ignota." The auxiliary said with a grin. "You gotta admit, you have quite the story behind you. White Fang lieutenant follows an auxiliary to our camp, fights almost the entirety of a platoon then, after getting captured, demands to know why we are here." He laughed loudly, shaking his head and smirking at Scar. "You're a legend among a few of us, like the Legates from the old books."

"Mhm." Was all the other faunus grunted, his eyes and ears locked on the shapes flying ahead of them. The truck stopped when the pair saw the carnage of the rest of the assault.

Blood ran freely drenching the old stones below the bodies. Each and everyone cut to slithers, impaled with spears decorated with their masks. Scar's gaze locked on a lone White Fang grunt crawling down an alley, followed by another man holding an actual anvil at his side and a staff on his shoulder. They cut the engine just in time to hear a loud scream, silenced by a loud, booming thud.

"Why did we go quiet when they do… do this?" He asked quietly, hands firmly strangling the wheel. The other auxiliary snorted.

"They had to make sure you were truly with us, that you were willing to serve under 'questionable' orders." The man said, making quotation marks with his fingers. "Sorry about all of this, Captain's always been a wildcard." To Ignota's surprise, the other faunus waved off the apology.

"No, these fools followed the wrong purpose in life. They followed a madman." Scar snapped, shoving the door open and jumping onto the street; immediately finding the man in charge

"Well done, Auxiliary. You've proven yourself, even without this test." Glare said in a calm monotone voice. "You will stay with Connor for now, we will handle the rest of this infestation. Rest easy."

"Yes, sir." Scar replied in a low murmur, watching the Captain reload his rifle and lead the charge down into the darkness, sprinting down the ramp with thundering footsteps. Screams and cries of surprise already drifting up from the deep underground. He shivered and turned away, his attention locking onto the same lonely soldier who lumbered from around the alleyway. Anvil splattered with blood.

"So… you're Scar, right? Fucking maniac, mate." The auxiliary chirped, walking over and dropping his heavy block of metal on the street before taking a seat on it. "Name's Connor, been proudly serving since I could breath. Heard you were White Fang too, must be quite a bloody shock watching your old friends get fucking slaughtered, eh?"

"Yeah, it's unnerving." The other man responded with a rumbling tone of annoyance, igniting a cackle out of the ginger haired man.

"Ah well, these sorry fuckers aren't the ones we're after. We probably won't see anymore of them, probably." Connor chuckled, scratching at one of his wolfish ears and grinning at Scar. "You haven't killed anybody yet?"

"From a certain perspective." Scar muttered, still hearing the faint sounds of clashing metal and gunshots. "I'm just fortunate to have another cause to fight for and because of that I wasn't cut down like an animal." His companion chuckled and leaned closer towards him.

"You have no idea." With that, Scar listened to the sounds of butchers at work. Mask hiding the single tear, slowly rolling down his cheek.

* * *

Beacon awoke with a strange air, news of Mt. Glenn had reached the academy. Fires had torn across the ruined town, photos showed pillars of fire erupting from great gaping holes in the old streets. There were rumours of a hundred bodies, all sprawled out over the town. Though the images and teachers told the curious few nothing. It was a mystery, one that was haunting more than a few students. But still, the show must go on, so most of the teens just moved on; keeping the strange news in the back of their minds.

Sam sat outside once again, in front of a large oak the overshadowed he gardens. His hands shifted the piece of wood within them, thumbs gently caressing the carvings across its surface. His eyes were looked on a bird sitting in a tree. There wasn't anything interesting about the black bird, it was just the most interesting thing in the gardens.

"Excuse me?" The twin blinked and looked around for the voice, finding it was a black haired girl with a bow tied in her hair.

"Hello there." Sam greeted with a smile, watching as the strangely familiar student shifted her weight to her other foot. "Wait a minute, I know you. You were one of those girls we fought yesterday, you're not here for round two right?"

"No." She answered quickly, the wind blew her bow slightly. "I was just wondering if I could ask a few questions."

"Sure, hit me." The boy chirped, leaning against the trunk of the great oak. The girl seemed unusually nervous as she inhaled deeply.

"What is your view on the White Fang and their actions?" She asked in a murmur, causing the brown haired boy to snort.

"Bunch of terrorists with a stupid goal. They murder their own kind for equality? I think that's called insanity." Sam answered with an upturned lip. "Bastards are just making life in the kingdoms hellish." The answer seemed to irritate the girl, but she continued onto her next question.

"Would you assault a faunus if they were apart of the White Fang?" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah." The girl seemed to be waiting for an explanation, but he just shrugged so she continued.

"Were you on Mount Glenn last night?"

"What? You mean where all those fires happened? No, I was asleep." The twin answered in a baffled tone, crossing his arms. "You seem very interesting in the White Fang, it's very suspicious. Wait, do you know what happened? What happened in those ruins?"

"I-I don't know anything." Like that, the girl disappeared. Sam moved to stand but hesitated, slowly sitting back down. He frowned and glanced around in search for the black bird from before, thinking about his brother's wearabouts.

Dwelling in the near empty hall of the library, Alex slowly scrunched up a bit of paper into a ball with one hand while his other tapped a pen against the table. The boy tossed the ball aside, knocking another two crumpled balls off the desk, and wrote a few more lines on a page filled with foreign writings.

His eyes darted from the paper, slowly scanning the other tables around him. Staring at him was another student, black haired and wearing a Beacon uniform. Atop her head was a black bow. Alex's gaze locked with hers and he leaned back in his seat, slowly crossing his arms with a blank expression. It took another few seconds and she stood and approached him, pulling out another chair. The pair simply stared at each other for a minute or two, then she spoke up in a quiet voice.

"What do you think of faunus fighting for their rights?" The boy grunted, taking a moment to think of an answer.

"A noble cause, but near impossible in this day and age. The White Fang would've been remembered as a far more respectable group if they didn't change their ideals of what equality was." He answered, watching the student thoughtfully frown at his answer.

"What would you do if you met one of the White Fang? From before." She asked, more confident in tone. Alex thought it was strange, but answered her question.

"Nothing. The newer Fang would be a different matter."

"How so?" The girl leaned closer.

"This newer faunus group, they are brutal and have committed terrible acts. If I was to meet one of its members, I would only ask why they would murder their own." Alex grunted again. "The White Fang have forgotten what they are, what they are meant to be. They fought a peaceful war, now they fight a hopeless war."

The girl nodded a few times, then asked one last question. "Do you know what happened on Mount Glenn last night?"

"Heard it burnt to the ground. Those ruins were already destroyed, I don't understand why anyone or anything would torch it. That's all I know." The twin sighed, looking up at the girl. "Was there someone in that cursed city that you knew?"

"What? I mean-" The girl stuttered and frowned, falling silent as Alex uncrossed his arms.

"There were rumours of White Fang in that area, did you know that?"The girl stood suddenly, almost ramming into someone in an attempt to leave the building as soon as possible. Alex merely grunted one last time, taking his scroll out of his pocket and typing a quick message. This would be interesting for Raiko.

Speaking of the giant boy, Raiko was watching from the shadows of a tree as a girl wearing a bow in her hair glanced around nervously. She knew she was being watched. Good. The blind boy felt his scroll vibrate and slipped it from his pocket, his gaze never leaving the strange teen. He took a quick glance to read the message before pushing the device into his pocket, the black haired teen was very much suspicious.

She looked to her left, just a little too much when she spotted him and froze. Amber eyes were locked with his clouded orbs, like a doe caught in headlights. Their silent eye contact was unbroken until Raiko started forwards in a swift march, crossing the grass and stone path with surprising speed. The girl sprinted into the cafeteria, shoving aside a pair of Atlas Academy students. They regained their balance just as the tall blonde shoved past them, banner held in front of him as he made furious strides into the building.

His vision snapped to all of the dark haired teens, gazing over the tops of their heads as he searched for the bow. Something darted towards the side exit, something wearing a black bow. The giant's footsteps thundered in slow methodical thuds as he pushed his way to the doors, only for them to burst open and reveal the lunchtime rush of students. Raiko scowled and stepped aside, moving to the wall and almost flinging his scroll out of his pocket. Sending a warning to the team leader, his clouded eyes filled with barely hidden fury.

Blake looked over her shoulder again as she travelled down the halls of the academy, that boy knew something. Would it sate her curiosity? Yes. Would it answer the suspicion she had? Perhaps. Would she risk going back to those hateful eyes? Never.

Her mental argument ended when she slammed into somebody, almost knocking her off her feet. Thankfully, the person she just ran into latched onto her arm, holding her before she hit the floor. Blake sighed in relief and looked up at her saviour.

"Sorry, I wasn't-" She fell silent, the blonde holding her smirked.

"Howdy again, lass." Bill greeted and heaved the black haired girl to her feet, still smiling widely. "Let's have a chat, yeah?"

* * *

The dorm was silent, the three teens within the room all staring at one another. Raiko was glaring down at the seated girl while Bill took to looking out the window, leaving Blake to quietly look at her shoes as she sat on one of the lower bunks.

"You've been very curious about our opinions on the White Fang, as well as that mountain, eh lass." The leader of BRAS noted, twisting on his heel and looking at the girl. "These are two very different topics, so Raiko did some logical thinking and added things together. The White Fang were on the mountain, that sounds about right, eh lad?"

The giant blonde nodded once, tightening his grip on his flagpole with an audible creak.

"So, now we're left with the question: what does a terrorist group, a mountain and a fire have in common?" The shorter blonde asked and stepped towards the girl, looking down at her with a frown. "Well?" Blake was silent. "Aye, not much. So now here's the next question… why ask us about these events?"

"I…" The girl started, only to trail off into silence. Bill sighed and sat himself down on the desk, folding his hands together between his legs.

"Lass, it's worrying to think that you're blaming us for the fire. We can't see any reason why you would see us as the culprits. It doesn't make sense, lass, you get that right?" He explained calmly, lazily looking over to the black haired girl. "So, either you know nothing and are just having a go at us, or you know something about the mountain and are trying to do some childish detective work."

Once again, she said nothing and Bill let out a sigh. "Fine, maybe we should grab Alex for this, he does have quite a useful semblance. Do you know what his semblance is?" He asked quietly, staring from the corner of his eyes at Blake. "He creates fear, by simply using his words. He can scar a person for a few days, maybe a year or two if he wants to." She was looking at the boy now, both curious and slightly scared. "Remember that fucknut, think it was Dove or something, that's just a taste of what Alex can do."

" **You are wasting time, Bill."** Raiko signed and pointed at the girl. " **She's far too curious, she might know about what Glare did."**

"Yeah, yeah." His friend waved a hand, dismissing the words of the giant.

" **If she knows about them, she'll know about us and our cover will be blown."** The blind boy explained with a furious expression, glaring at the girl who stared at his hands. Blake glanced away and Bill snorted, giving Raiko a tiny nod and stern look.

"Aye, good point. Rightio, lass. You'll be telling us what you've heard, then we'll put this entire thing behind us." The shorter blonde hopped off the desk and put his hands on his hips. "Remember that you came to us, so we sorta have the right to know why you're accusing us, lass."

Blake took her time before looking up with narrow eyes, clenching her fists on her knees. "I heard it from an old friend, he told me that a group of men dressed as knights burnt Mount Glenn yesterday, around sunset." She said firmly, eyes snapping over to the silent blonde when he suddenly banged his head against his banner. Bill ignored his teammate and nodded at the black haired girl, smiling softly.

"See, that wasn't hard." He said gently, walking over to the door and opening it. "We weren't anywhere near that ruined place, we were all in Beacon. Run along lass, there's no hard feelings between us." Bill nodded at the hallway, watching Blake as she slowly rose to her feet and quickly walked past the taller boy. He slammed the door shut and turned to Raiko who was already signing angrily.

" **Take leave and have a chat with the mainlander, go tonight."** He ordered with a stoic expression, his eyes holding a raging hate within them. His fellow blonde groaned and facepalmed.

"We should've known that fucker still had connections, bastard must've been waiting for a move so he could tell that girl." Bill barked, punching the wall and snarling. "He'll be lashed for this stunt." He felt a hand land on his shoulder and went still, quietly looking up at the taller boy.

" **No, he will not. Physical beating are out of the question. You will ask him exactly why he exposed us, you will tell him to never do it again then you will return to us."** Raiko signed with a calm expressionless face, leaning down next to the boy's ear. "Inform his Captain of his actions, harsh labour will give him the hint."

"Fine." Bill grumbled. "What about the girl?"

" **Keep an eye out for her and that team, they're already far too curious now."** The blind boy warned, patting the shorter blonde on the shoulder. " **Do not do anything rash."**

"Aye, I'll make sure we don't fuck this up." Bill chirped, raising his eyebrow when Raiko started towards the door.

" **I hunger, I go feed."** Was his caveman response, it was enough to put a smile on Bill's face again. It took barely five minutes and the giant was sitting in the cafeteria with a mountain of food piled on his plate, his banner leaning against the bench as he took mouthfuls of his feast of a lunch.

"E-excuse me, Raiko?" A meek voice spoke from behind him, he found it was a familiar faunus. He waved Velvet over with a hand before returning to his meal, listening as the girl sat beside him with a quiet hum. "Hello."

" **Hello, Velvet."** He signed in return, continuing to eat while the other teen twiddled her thumbs and nervously looked at the table.

"Um." Raiko leaned away from his plate and looked at the faunus girl, watching her blush under his stare.

" **Are you alright?"** He leaned closer and narrowed his eyes, only to jerk back when the girl let out a high pitched squeak. An actual squeak. The boy blinked before slowly smiling, shoulders shaking in amused silent laughter as Velvet's blush covered her face.

"D-don't laugh." She muttered in a whisper, frowning at the blonde who just smiled kindly in return.

" **Sorry. Was there something you wanted to say?"** Raiko asked the girl, moving away from the girl so she could think.

"Y-yes, I was- um, going to ask i-if y-you'd still… I mean if y-you s-still want t-to go to th- the dance?" She stuttered out, glancing to the side out of shyness. The question made the blind giant freeze and blink, like an owl. His hesitation seemed to scare the faunus, who began to blush and stammer.

"Enough of that." The blonde teen barked, shaking his head with a raised eyebrow at the blushing Velvet. "I said I would." He stated firmly, looking around with narrow eyes. The girl looked confused when Raiko turned back, he calmly raised a finger to his lips.

"Oh, t-that's great!" The girl chirped happily, clapping her hands together like an excited school girl. He internally sighed as he remembered that was quite literally what she was. Velvet was humming with glee while Raiko continued to eat from his collected horde of food, all under the watchful glare of a beret wearing girl.

"I don't trust him, Coco." Her teammate said, arms crossed and laying across the table. He shook his head in the direction of the taller teen before sighing. "He can't be trusted, I know his kind."

"What's that meant to mean, Fox?" The girl asked with a curious expression, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes.

"...Nothing, just a gut feeling." The boy grunted, looking away and resting his chin on his fist, leaving his team's leader to look at him with a hint of suspicion. A look shared with the headmaster of the Academy as he listened to his old friend's question, high in his tower overlooking Beacon..

"So you want us to help you investigate Mount Glenn?" Ozpin asked slightly smugly, sipping at his coffee. The holographic image of the suited man sighed and nodded, the headmaster chuckled. "I'm surprised, I thought the General of the Atlesian Military could solve a mystery on his own?"

"This isn't the time for jokes, Ozpin." The man said with a stern glare. "What happened there wasn't natural, and the reports of White Fang activity in the area are worrying. If there's something still there, something that caused that fire, we need to find it."

"That doesn't explain why I should allow one of my teachers to assist you." Ozpin stated coldly, locking eyes with the holographic General. The man frowned and pressed a few buttons off screen, revealing a black and white picture taken from the air. It showed the great fires that burst through the stone, and something more. A group of seven figures, peering up at the camera. They wore something akin to ancient armour, though a few of the figures wore more modern equipment.

Most fascinating was the figure wearing a great crown, or something similar, around his helmet. It was definitely something strange, so Ozpin glanced back to Ironwood. "Survivors?" He asked.

"No, witnesses." The General corrected, shrinking the picture and appearing concerned. "They were still there when our teams flew over this morning, though we only saw one of those men, or women."

"I assume this is why you want our help?" The headmaster questioned after taking a swig from his mug, getting a nod.

"We think they may be bandits, _heavily_ armed bandits. Our troops could handle the job, but a huntsman on the field could make our confrontation less… bloody." The other man explained, running a hand through his hair as he watched Ozpin think. "Please, Ozpin."

"...I will notify Professor Oobleck immediately, he should be ready within the hour." The man finally replied, getting a grateful nod from the General before he disconnected. The hologram fizzled out and the lonely, grey haired professor leaned over his desk and pressed a button on a small intercom. "Glynda? Please send for Bartholomew and cancel the rest of his classes, please."

They would be back, and they would solve this mystery.

They would be back, that much was for certain and they would be ready for those transports. Devrok was scowling, even if his greathelm covered his face it was clear as day. He was leaning against another broken wall, glaring across the scorched cobblestone and tapping his banner on the ground in a furious beat. Finally, the soldier looked at the pair of auxiliaries sitting with him.

One was sitting on the windowsill while the other tapped his foot against the anvil next to his feet, both looked positively bored. The legionnaire shook his head and glanced up through the massive gaping hole in the ceiling before nodding to himself.

"We should head back, I don't think those aircraft will be back for another couple of hours." He said calmly, gesturing towards the empty doorway. "Keep an eye out while we move."

"Roger that, Rookie." The staff wielding faunus laughed, leaning down and hauling his anvil from the ground; the other auxiliary silently hopped off the stone, windowless frame and took his rifle from the wall.

"Drop the attitude." The nameless soldier grunted with a smirk, running a finger over his covered brow. "Else ol' Devrok here will report your ass to the Captain." He joked as the trio began down the road.

"Bah, I fucking doubt that. He's just a fucking teddy bear, ain't you Rook?"

"Yup."

"See?" Connor jeered, scratching at his back with his staff. "All he's going to do is fucking slap our wrists, like some buttfucked pompous shit." Devrok snorted and the faunus laughed, slapping the other man on the back. "I'm just pulling your leg, you fucking wuss."

"Never would've guessed that." The man replied with a chuckle, looking up over the tops of the ruins in search for any aircraft. The two auxiliaries decided that they'd continue the conversation.

"So, how was our little friend yesterday?" Connor asked the second faunus.

"Not particularly good or bad, he just went for a walk and came back to do his job." Came his answer. "He could be a good soldier."

"If he survives what's coming. Fucker's strong in the head but not in the body."

"He's still loyal, no screw ups yet and no lashes or punishments." The Auxiliary pointed out, getting another laugh from Connor.

"Sure. Just you fucking wait, I can already see that fuck getting-" The vulgar auxiliary hesitated, pausing in his stride to snap his head to the sky. Very faintly, the sound of engines approached. "Shit, got incoming." He noted and glanced to Devrok, readying his hammer. "We gonna fuck some shit up?"

"No! We need to lay low like the Captain said. Move into the buildings, now!" The soldier barked and pointed with his banner to a nearby store, or what was once the beginnings of a store. The trio sprinted across the cobbles and threw themselves into the ruin, by way of windows or boarded doors. Devrok and Connor glanced through the windows and spied the transports in the distance, two grey dots in the blue sky.

"Fuckers. They look ready to land." The ginger haired man commented, snarling at the aircraft before looking at the human among them. "The hell are we doing now? Jerking ourselves off and waiting for them to find us?"

"Quiet." Came the firm command from Devrok as he hummed under his helmet. "We need to alert the others, but those ships would be all over us if we sounded the horn. They need to be occupied before we can get help." The second auxiliary perked up, twisting from his perch next to the door.

"You have your Aura at full?"

"Always do, Auxiliary."

"Then we have no better plan." He nodded with the other man, raising his weapon and turning to Connor. He found that the soldier was already grinning and tapping his fingers against his staff.

"Who's gonna let the fucking dogs out?"

"Oorah." Devrok merely muttered as his Aura started to shine, outlining his body in an ethereal form; almost ghostly in appearance. The soldier's doppelganger stepped out from the man, its features covered by a bright white light coming from Devrok. Another form stepped out, then another and then another. The ruins suddenly rang with the sounds of dull footsteps, and soon the sounds of screaming would echo alongside them in a twisted reminder of the past.

The transports screamed over treetops as their target grew closer, the blackened cobblestones were visible even from this distance. Inside one of these airships was a group of troopers and a man with scruffy green hair, whose face was set like stone. He took a sip from his thermos and looked up at the soldiers seated left and opposite him, each and everyone of them wearing snow white armour. Banter between the men was aplenty, jokes and laughter were shared as the Doctor stared at the floor.

"We're two minutes out, boys. Pack up and get ready to drop." Came the pilots call from the cockpit, causing the last few soldiers yet to check their weapons to do so swiftly. Oobleck stood up in a blur, taking a swig of his thermos before speaking.

"Alright men, our mission is simple! We have had reported sightings of strange figures in the aftermath of last night, meaning that this group is related to the 'burning of Mt. Glenn' as the public have come to call it! We are here to take in this strange group to find out their intentions!" The huntsman's words flooded out at blinding speed, barely making sense to more than a few of the troopers.

"What… did you say, sir?" One of the Atlesians asked, scratching his helmeted head. The Doctor sighed and took another swig.

"We are here to find a number of individuals!" He repeated just as quickly, zooming over to one of the side doors and pushing the release. The door slid open and the wind screamed through the aircraft, the light blinding for a moment before the sight of collapsed rooftops passing by became clear. The bullhead slowed and descended rapidly, landing in what was once a park.

"Right boys, we'll be in the air! Send us a flare when you're ready to go. Good luck out there!" The pilot shouted at the disembarking team, returning a thumbs up from one of the soldiers and slowly lifting off again. Doctor Oobleck frowned as he took in the surrounding area.

"Sergeant! Did you see any Grimm from the air before we landed?" He asked the man standing next to him.

"None sir, it's clean down here."

"Yes. Keep an eye out, stay cautious." The green haired man advised and lead the way down one of the abandoned streets, thermos firmly gripped in his hand. Visors, glasses and guns were on a swivel as they moved, everything that could move had at least one thing pointed at it. Someone coughed and another trooper jumped, smacking the other soldier across the back of the head.

"Sergeant, do you know the story of Mount Glenn?" Oobleck asked quietly, not looking back at the confused man.

"Uh, yes sir. We all do. This place was the site of an expansion attempt by Vale, it ended in disaster and the tunnels underneath the city were collapsed." The other man paused. "There were too many deaths."

"Yes, this was to be the place were humanity pushed back the evil of the Grimm, where we took a victory from them! It's a shame this place was abandoned-"

"Target twelve o'clock! Hundred metres!" The call snapped all weapons to the front of the pack, straight down the street and at the lonely target. Oobleck narrowed his eyes as he took in the detail of the figure.

They wore a pair of worn, leather pants; torn from the knees down. A simple chainmail shirt and overcoat made of muddy cloth covered their chest while a bucket-like helmet covered the head, completely void of any visor or openings. Wrapped around one arm was a large chain attaching to the end of a blunt club made of iron held in the right hand.

They stood with their head lowered, still appearing to stare at them as the helmet turned from left to right. The huntsman stood his ground and the Atlesian Sergeant stepped forward to meet the other person.

"Under the authority of the Atlesian Military, I order you to put down your weapons and come with us!" The soldier barked, rifle lowered across his chest. His visor snapped to the side and the trooper stumbled back, raising his rifle and barking out. "You there! Come out of the building!"

The Doctor turned and squinted behind his glasses, trying to find who the other man was shouting at. He was interrupted by another shout, this time from behind him.

"Sarge! Look out!" All eyes turned and saw, almost in slow motion, the soldier catch a blow to the head from the lonely figure. He collapsed and instantly started to get up, until the first figure was joined by another three; all leaping from the shadowy buildings around them. Their strikes bounced off the trooper's Aura for the first pounding blows, then the first splatter of blood erupted from the man's screaming mouth.

"Sarge! Open fire!" Oobleck twisted around and started to shout out, but even his speedy words couldn't come fast enough before the troopers fired at the four barbaric shapes. The hunter could only turn back and watch the Dust rounds fly at the violent figures, shredding through their peasant rags and sending them flying off their feet. Oobleck's eyes widened and his arms shot up.

"STOP! They have no Aura!" He screamed, watching in shock as the four figures disintegrated as they flew through the air. "What?" Was all he could mutter before the chaos began again. Screams and gunfire echoed as more of the figures dropped on the group, coming down with clubs, hammers and thick chains in their hands. Doctor Oobleck shifted his glasses further up on his face before blurring through the stumbling skirmish, thwacking the shapes as he flew past with his sturdy thermos. "Stop this immediately! On my authority of a huntsman, I order you all to stop this madness!"

It stopped. The Atlesians and the Beacon teacher froze as their attackers disappeared into a white mist, flying past and to another standing behind them. The vapour entered his glowing Aura, showering his face with bright light.

Oobleck may not have seen the man's eyes from behind that crowned helmet, but he would never forget the feeling of pure hated that flooded from the man dressed in golden plate; baring the flapping standard of a great burning ring. The newcomer held the banner to his left and held his shield to the side, leaving his chest open as it heaved with heavy breaths.

"You." It came as a low growl, threatening in tone as he released his planted flagpole to point a shaking finger at the Doctor. "You are a hunter." His fury was clear as day as his voice came out in a snarl. "I'll tear out your hamstrings for your crimes, you filthy fucking degenerate!" The man roared, tearing his banner from the ground and pounding it into the cobblestones. "Auxiliaries! TO ME!"

Doctor Oobleck flinched at the cry, his ears ringing as the sounds of a responding roar erupted from all around them. He turned and grabbed one of the Atlesian troopers. "Fire the flare, we need to leave." The soldier nodded before turning slightly and flinching back, giving the huntsman just enough time to fling himself out of the way of the enraged knight's shield.

His speed saved him that day. He watched the soldier he was just standing next to fail to move out of the way, falling under the powerful punch from the shield. It tore through his torso, tearing apart his skin, muscle and bone and leaving his shoulder divided from his head by a good foot. The top of his broken ribs peered back at Oobleck, bloody gore squirting from the gaping ravine. The hunter looked up and saw the man turning to him, growling and raising his shield for another cleaving blow.

"Sir!" It was the pilot, one of the troopers had fired the flare, they'd be safe. Doctor Oobleck dashed backwards, turning as his blurred towards the hovering bullhead.

"HUNTSMAN!" He slammed into the other door as the cry reached his ears, ignoring it the Doctor screamed at the cockpit.

"Get us in the air!"

"Way ahead of you!" The airship rose and they watched in horror as the streets below them suddenly lit up with gunfire, immediately sending the surviving members of the mission into the cover of the aircraft. Someone was screaming as the bullets clanging and banged, ricocheting off the steel frame of the transport. "Oh Nine! Return to Beacon, get out of there!" The Doctor's heart dropped as he overheard the call, the other transport was slowly rising just a few metres from where they had just got evacuated from. They were too close to that enraged maniac, they wouldn't make it.

"Drop that fucker!" Connor barked at the five other auxiliaries, throwing his hand up into the sky at the rising bullhead. The call from Devrok had riled them up, by his Father's name he wouldn't let those Mainlanders leave alive. Bullets pinged off the metal craft, the air blowing around them throwing off their aim.

"Take down that aircraft or I'll have you lashed until the end of time!" The flag bearer came screaming up behind them, tipping the faunus over the edge.

"Make way you inbred fucks!" Connor ordered before twirling his staff through the air, gripping it with both hands and smashing it into the anvil. He twisted the pole and heaved the hammer off the ground, bringing a shadow that covered the other soldiers. The faunus started to bring the weapon to the side, leaning his body to the left and sprinting towards the bullhead. "Catch!" He cried as he forced the hammer from his side and flung the massive beast of a weapon at the retreating transport.

The explosion rocked the transport, sending Oobleck stumbling and the injured trooper into another screaming fit of pain. He pushed his way to the door of the cockpit, hearing the desperate calls of the pilot.

"-ine!? Oh Nine, respond! Please, Walker, respond you son of a bitch!" The Doctor shoved the door open with a loud bang, startling the other man who turned in his seat. Tears streamed down from under his goggles.

"I'm… I'm sorry for your loss, but you need to get us back to Beacon." The green haired man said calmly, getting an angry snort from the pilot.

"Why should I? You're the one who got Wal- my friend killed, why should I listen to you?" He snapped at him, veering the airship off course slightly.

"Because you can make sure nobody else dies, but we need to get back in one piece. Please, I'm sorry for your friend, please get us to Beacon." Doctor Oobleck begged, holding the mourning man's shoulder with a firm yet comforting hand. The pilot shoved his hand off and wiped the tears out from under his visor.

"Fine, but this is the last time I fly you hunters. All you seem to do is cause trouble." He muttered, flying straight towards the academy, leaving the lanky man to wander back to the hold and sit down with a blank expression. He didn't drink from his thermos for the rest of the trip.

"No survivors over here!'

"Nothing here!"

"Those bastards are dead." Connor responded from his piece of the wreckage, yanking furiously at his hammer; still stuck in the cockpit's hull. He paused and wiped his brow, looking over to the other Auxiliary. "Pretty sure they are, nothing short of the fucking Link could survive that." His friend shrugged, kicking a piece of metal over.

"Remember the Link is essentially a god, and he guides us. Ain't no way in hell any of us would attack him." He responded, shoving another hunk of metal over with a front kick. Unlike the other bits of metal, this one made a groan. Instantly, the faunus leapt over and raised his rifle.. He found a lonely Atlesian, wearing a pair of pilot's goggles, sprawled across the ground.

"Well well well." Connor muttered as he hopped over, squatting next to the man. "Looks like we have a fuckhead who didn't die, his loss." He cackled and slapped his hands onto the man's shirt, dragging him from the wreckage that should've killed him.


	4. Team BRAS: Dance with Fate

**Not only did this take about a decade to finish, but my ideas just pour in like a waterfall, expect some things to be in more or less detail as my mind continues to steam ahead with future ideas, such as... something big. Anyways, for the long hiatus you get a longer chapter, Merry Christmas. Wait, I can actually use that now, huh, usually it's just sarcastic but now it's usable. Cheers.**

Ozpin sat in his tower and was staring out the massive window that dominated the wall behind his desk, what he was expecting was a single, intract Bullhead with a few soldiers and Doctor Oobleck. What he got was everything that he expected, except for a squad of shellshocked Atlas soldiers and an even more disheveled Oobleck with his hand on his shoulder. When the Bullhead landed, Oobleck rushed up to Ozpin and left the soldiers inside as the Bullhead took off.

"We need to talk." He had said, now Ozpin was waiting for the details of the mission. He spun around on his chair and placed his hands on his desk, turning his attention to Oobleck.

"What happened out there?" Ozpin asked and the Doctor took his glasses off and stared at the Headmaster, who grew slightly worried.

"We arrived and were greated by three men, all looked like the White Fang, even had the same styled masks. But when I went to bring them in, the men I was leading were cut down." Oobleck saw Ozpin's casual stare and leaned on the table. "They used bullets that tore through their aura." Ozpin's eyes narrowed.

"Nobody has made a weapon that can cut through aura, almost all weaponry uses Dust, which can't pierce aura but only damage it." He stated, trying to make sense of the situation. Oobleck sighed and continued.

"Well these soldiers used some sort of ammunition that didn't use Dust. The three men then ran at me, their attacks were powerful. On par with a huntsman or huntress, if not stronger." This caused Ozpin to choke on his coffee, he coughed and glanced at his friend.

"What?" Ozpin asked loudly, then returned to a calm facade. "What do you mean?"

"I felt my aura shake and crack every time those men attacked, it barely held up." Oobleck said and slid a hand through his green hair. "The pilot on the Bullhead must've called for backup, since two more of them turned up. The first deployed a large force, the second was taken down by a single individual." The Doctor paused before continuing. "The soldier's armour looked extremely similar to team BRAS's from Haven. I managed to make his ammo explode and escape." The Doctor watched his friend's face for anything displaying his thoughts.

"That is concerning." Ozpin stated and stood up, turning to look out the window. "We shall watch these so called students, if they are planning anything then we will know." Oobleck was unsure.

"Is this the wisest thing to do?" He asked and Ozpin looked at him.

"If don't want a repeat of what almost happened ten years ago, then yes." He said grimly and returned to looking out the window, the Doctor turned to leave then remembered something.

"Another thing, Ozpin." Oobleck said and the Headmaster looked at him. "There weren't any Grimm on Mount Glenn, not a single one that we could see from the air." Ozpin frowned as he took this in.

"Thank you, Professor." He said calmly and Doctor Oobleck sighed.

"It's Doctor." He mumbled and blurred to the elevator as Ozpin turned back around to stare out the window.

* * *

Sam was standing with Raiko and his brother in the Beacon gardens, both were watching Raiko sign.

 **"The Abandoned encountered a small force of Atlas troops and a huntsman, from the description it was Doctor Oobleck."** Raiko signed with a frown, Sam and Alex glanced at each other.

"That means he's seen their armour, our armour." Sam stated and Raiko nodded.

 **"Lieutenant Brutus reported that he exchanged blows with the Doctor before he caused an explosion and fled, Brutus didn't specify how he caused it however."** Raiko grinned, seemingly ignoring the questio. **"Captain Glare did report that Lieutenant Brutus's ammunition was blown to bits and he was covered in flames."** Alex snorted in amusement.

"Makes sense that Brutus would leave that out." He said with a smirk.

"Yeah. The real question is why are they here?" Sam asked and looked at Raiko, who wore no expression.

 **"They arrived early, as per usual, they found a group of White Fang threatening the plan so I got them to end their operation. Led by none other than our little witch friend."** Raiko signed and the twins scowled.

"What the fuck was she doing?" Sam demanded and Alex scoffed.

"What do you think? She's trying to push her agenda forward, Bill is no doubt following along too like the little hound he is." Alex stated then chuckled. "Summoned like a mongrel pup." Sam cracked a grin and Raiko blinked.

 **"Remember that we are here for one reason only, if Bill gets in the way, as he already has, he will be put down."** Raiko signed and the twins stared at him, then Sam smirked.

"You do have higher authority, but for now we'll play along." He said and saw somebody approaching. "Well I'll be damned, it's your little friend." Raiko turned and saw Velvet walking towards him with a slight blush, he glanced at the twins who immediately started to walk away. Velvet reached Raiko and smiled at him, he returned his own.

"Hello, Raiko." She greeted in her usual quiet voice.

"Howdy..." Raiko said, his raspy tone slightly better than before. "You ready to dance?" His question got a cute frown from Velvet.

"I already asked that!" She said and Raiko chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah... just making sure." He said with a grin, then it faded into a serious line. "What's that?" He used a finger to shift her hair and saw an off coloured patch near the base of her left rabbit ear, she squeaked and tried to pull away. "Who... did... that?" He asked softly and Velvet shook her head.

"It was an accident!" She shouted then blushed, Raiko looked at her with worried eyes.

"Please, tell me..." He asked again and Velvet looked into his cloudy eyes, swearing that she could see a flash of pure purple among the white.

"Team CRDL." She whispered and Raiko grabbed his banner, but she quickly latched onto his arm. "Please don't-!" Raiko looked down at her with a surprised look.

"Why?" The question was blunt and Velvet looked away.

"I... don't want people fighting for me, I wanna fight my own battles." Velvet explained quietly, Raiko paused then slowly put his banner back against the tree.

"As you wish, but I don't want to see you hurt." He said and Velvet blushed at his concerns, then he gently grabbed his hand. "Come, I want to show you something I've been working on." He said and pulled her away, grabbing his banner as they left.

In the library, Bill was sitting with a pair of earphones on, listening to a local band going by the name Your Chemical Breakup. He quietly read as the music blasted away, ignoring the students that moved around his table. Then a person slipped into the chair opposite him, their eyes filled with sinister intent. Bill looked up at Cinder and pulled his headphones off.

"Howdy." He greeted, Cinder smiled sweetly at him and Bill frowned. "Why are you smiling?" He asked and Cinder shrugged.

"Can't a girl just smile once and a while?" Cinder asked with a soft voice, Bill scoffed.

"Not if it's you that's smiling, answer the question." Cinder frowned at him and leaned back.

"Fine, just reminding you about tonight." She answered and Bill stared at her with a deadpan expression.

"Like I'd forget about a chance like this." Bill said as he shook his head. "Is that all?"

"No, actually, it isn't." Cinder stated and glared at Bill, placing both hands on the table. "I want to know who attacked my operation."

"This again?" Bill asked and stood up. "Like I said, I have no clue or part in that attack. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find someone who won't interrogate me over some train." With that said, Bill turned and left the library, leaving Cinder to think about who really did it, again.

Raiko and Velvet entered the Music Hall, immediately Raiko leaned his banner against the grand piano in the corner and slipped onto the seat. Velvet watched with curiosity as Raiko cracked his knuckles and raised his hands above his head, then pulled them close to his body. Velvet couldn't see what he was doing, but when his back shook it made her worried.

"R-Raiko?" Velvet asked quietly, Raiko put his hand over his eyes and turned in the seat.

"I... I'm sorry, but it's the only way..." Raiko said and moved his hand, Velvet's eyes met Raiko's. They were unclouded and revealed vibrant purple irises, almost shinning in the dimly lit room. What was extremely strange about his eyes wasn't the rare colour, but the swirling orange curls and lines that moved within, like a fish swimming though the endless sea. Velvet stepped forwards and put a hand on Raiko's cheek, making the boy flinch slightly.

"Raiko... they're beautiful." Velvet whispered and Raiko chuckled. "Why did you hide them?" Raiko stopped chuckling.

"It's... complicated..." Raiko muttered and Velvet sighed, about to do something she's never done.

"Please?" She asked softly and did her best puppy dog eyes, her ears flopping down next to her wide eyes. Raiko felt his heart stop at the sheer cuteness, even the mission was at stake of coming out do to this adorable little bunny.

"So cute, fine." Raiko said and Velvet giggled and clapped her hands. "Where I'm from... my family were the only ones with purple eyes... I hated the attention when I was young so I did this." He pointed to his eyes, which went cloudy then cleared.

"That's p-pretty cool actually." Velvet said with a blush, Raiko chuckled.

"Before you ask, no, this isn't my semblance..." Raiko stated and Velvet looked a bit confused.

"Really? What is it?" She asked excitedly, Raiko looked away and Velvet moved into his vison with her puppy dog eyes, he sighed and looked at her.

"The Link... the memory of all who have passed..." Raiko muttered cryptically and Velvet blinked, opening her mouth to ask another question. "That's all I'm saying..." Raiko said with a grin and Velvet pouted.

"Fine." She muttered and Raiko almost patted her head, but stopped when he remembered her sore ear.

"Sorry." He said when she looked at his hand.

"It's fine, Raiko... i-it doesn't hurt as much now." She said with a slight blush, Raiko looked at her then smiled, gently patting her head. Then he got an idea, he started to scratch behind her right ear. Immediately Velvet sighed in relief, or something similar, and started to pat her foot against the ground, Raiko started to laugh and pulled his hand back. Velvet looked at him with a heavy blush and pouted. "S-shut up!" She muttered cutely and Raiko did so.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself." He admitted with a slight blush as he rubbed the back of his head, Velvet then smiled.

"It... felt nice, thank you." She said and Raiko looked at her, his purple eyes glowing with a previously unseen joy.

"It's almost five... better head off and find my friends, see you tonight Velvet." Raiko said and waved a hand in front of his eyes, returning them to a cloudly haze. He picked up his banner and walked out into the hall, walking away to find one of the twins. Velvet remained in the Music Hall, thinking about the unused instruments nearby and the neglect that's been gifted through the layers of dust. She finally left after another moment of looking around, walking towards her dorm to wait for the dance.

Alex stood in his team's dorm with his tuxedo laid out on his bed, the grey suit was still clean and the orange flower still perky, even if it was just plastic. He pondered about what to put on his head, then clicked his fingers when he remembered the two hats.

"That hat should be around here." He said to himself and opened a draw, finding the two black caps. He grabbed one and threw it on top of the suit. "Should do it." He muttered as the door opened.

"Rearing to go, eh?" Sam asked as he stood next to Alex, his eyes on his brother's suit. "Guess I should get my own, it starts around six or seven." He said as he opened the closet and rummaged around, finding his grey suit in a few seconds.

"Think Raiko has it for that girl?" Alex suddenly asked and Sam looked over his shoulder at him.

"Yes, though that isn't a problem is it?" Sam asked with a glare, Alex scoffed.

"Of course not, I can respect his decision. It's Bill that I'm concerned about." He said as Sam put his tuxedo on his bed. "He's still naive, already going against the original orders and making contact with that damned witch. He's lucky that he managed to get himself on her counsel, but it's bullshit that he got Captain from that unlike someone who did something that helped the Abandoned." Alex grunted and crossed his arms, Sam raised in eyebrow.

"Your point, besides the obvious?" Sam asked with a grin.

"The point is, if Bill gets told to kill that girl, he'll do it. That boy is just power hungry, if he wants to rise up the ranks then he'll do anything. Attacking at the Link's heart could be a great way to do it, except it'll cause a war." Alex answered and Sam burst into laughter.

"I doubt he'd be dumb enough to do that." Sam said then looked up with a blank face. "Right?"

"I don't know, Sam. I just want him gone so if he does anything stupid we won't be involved." Alex stated and glanced at the clock on the wall. "Damn, time flies. Already six, strange, it felt like we spoke for only a minute." Alex commented and Sam nodded quietly, thankfully the door opened and gave them a distraction from the time skip. Raiko walked in and nodded at the pair, putting his banner against the bedpost and moving to the closet. Sam laughed.

"Getting excited to dance, eh?" Sam asked in a smug tone, Raiko raised a hand over his shoulder and flipped him off.

"Leave him be Sam, at least someone can look at him without screaming unlike you." Alex grunted and Sam immediately looked back at him with a death stare that could kill millions, but to Alex it was just a normal glare from his brother. Raiko pulled his white tuxedo out, the orange dragon design seeming to glow. He walked over and placed it next to Alex's, going back and looking for something. Sam snorted when Raiko pulled a yellow mantle from the closet, the blind boy just ignored him and placed the cape on the suit.

 **"Doesn't work does it?"** Raiko signed to the twins, who shook their heads. Raiko nodded and took the cape off and put it away.

"If you ain't using that, could I have it?" Sam asked suddenly, Raiko looked at him and Alex grunted.

"Why do you want his cape?" Alex asked, suspicious of his brother's sudden change of attitude to the cape.

"So we don't look alike, well more like exactly the same." Sam answered as Raiko tossed the short yellow cape to him. "Besides, I look good in yellow. Matches my eyes." Sam stated with a smug grin, Alex huffed and turned to his own suit.

"You're gonna look like an idiot." He commented and Sam laughed.

"I care about the fashion, this is fashion. Simple math." Sam sneered and Alex looked at him.

"Yeah, simple. The only thing you can do with your micro brain." Alex said casually and Raiko coughed as Sam stared at his brother, dumbfounded.

 **"Alex, try not to insult your brother, you know he can't understand their meanings."** Raiko added with a smirk and Alex burst into laughter as Sam flipped them off.

"Fuck the both of you, I'm gonna look fucking fabulous." He stated and grabbed his suit before walking into the bathroom, changing away from his teammates. Alex raised his fist and Raiko hit it with his own, still grinning at the complete savagery that just took place. Though the quote, savagery, was probably not as savage in the eyes of another. Then the door opened and Bill walked in, confused at the smiles on his usually stoic friends.

"What'd I miss?" He asked and Alex chuckled.

"The inferno that was dropped on Sam." Bill raised an eyebrow before shaking his head, then he noticed the tuxedos.

"Ah, right. Shit." Bill said and Raiko looked at him with a sideways look. "Plans with Cinder, looks like my suit will be collecting dust." Bill stated with a slightly sad tone, Raiko shook his head and Alex scoffed.

"Then why'd you get it?" Alex asked and Bill glared at him.

"I have my reasons." He snapped just as the bathroom door opened and Sam walked out, his grey suit and yellow cape fitting nicely. "What the hell is that?" Bill asked, slightly dumbfounded, and gestured to the cape. Sam threw his arms up.

"Bloody fashion you bunch of barbarians!" He yelled and sat on the desk, nodding to the open door. "It's free."

"Bags it-" Alex started to say but Raiko grabbed his tuxedo and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door in Alex's face. "Ow!" He grunted and rubbed his face, ignoring the laughter of Sam and Bill.

"Good god! He's fucking rearing to go!" Sam said after being able to breathe, Bill remained chuckling like a maniac however. Alex solved the problem by grabbing a nearby bottle of water and throwing at him.

"Aye, he is." Alex agreed, slightly amused at the teen's speed. It took only a few minutes for Raiko to open the door and walk out, Sam whistled in amazement.

"Looking good." Bill said as Raiko pulled on his sleeve, he shrugged in response.

 **"Thanks. Alex, get changed, we're going in five minutes."** Raiko signed and Alex quickly entered with his suit. Raiko glanced at Sam who caught the look, understanding the quiet message to leave. He stood up from the desk and stretched.

"I'll head off now, see you there Raiko." Sam said and left, Bill frowned and watched the twin leave before looking back at Raiko. The blind boy was standing right in front of him, Bill recoiled in shock but Raiko grabbed him and pulled him back.

 **"Do not trust so easily Bill, that witch will betray you without hesitation. Be on your guard."** Raiko warned and looked into the other boy's eyes, then he released Bill when the bathroom door opened. Alex walked out in his grey tuxedo and pulled the cap down onto his head, he saw Raiko and Bill standing only a few feet apart. Raiko jerked his head in the direction of the door and Alex nodded, following after the boy and leaving Bill alone.

"Why?" Bill asked himself in the dorm, raising his hands to look at them. "Why did I agree to this?" He wondered and let his arms drop. "Ah well, guess I can try and see this through." He said sadly and left the dorm.

Raiko walked into the massive room that housed the dance, he could already see a lot of students dancing while others just stood around. He spotted a couple of teachers too, but his attention was locked on a very special person. Raiko quickly walked past the girl who was welcoming people, ignoring her greeting and walking through the horde of people. Finally he made it to the far wall where a girl in a brown dress sat, her eyes looking around in the opposite direction of Raiko.

Velvet had been waiting for a couple of minutes and was growing worried, did Raiko forget? Did he find another partner? Did he-

"Hello." Velvet jumped at the sudden voice, then smiled and looked up at Raiko.

"Oh my... Raiko, you look.." Velvet blushed and trailed off, Raiko sat next to her and chuckled. Velvet was wearing a brown dress that stopped at her ankles, two straps over her shoulders held the dress up and in her hair was a little purple flower, which made Raiko internally chuckle to himself.

"You are too kind, Velvet, but you are truely beautiful." Raiko said and Velvet blushed even more, but Raiko thought it looked even cuter when her ears covered her face and laughed. Velvet peeked from her rabbit ears and smiled at Raiko, whose heart threatened to break once again due to cuteness overload.

"T-thank you." She whispered and Raiko hummed, suddenly he sat up with a grin.

"No way." He said as the students around them started to laugh, Velvet looked at him then followed his gaze to... Jaune in a white dress, she burst into a fit of giggles and watched as he took Pyrrha Niko's hand and pulled her into the middle of the dance floor, where they were joined by Ren and Nora. Team JNPR broke into a dance number as the DJs changed the music to something more upbeat, once they finished the collective body of students and teachers clapped and cheered. Velvet joined in with Raiko, who wore a massive grin. "That's one confident guy." He muttered to himself and stood up, raising his hand for Velvet to grab. "Shall we?" He asked in a posh accent and Velvet giggled and took his hand.

"Let's." She responded in a similar accent, which made Raiko smile even more. The music once again changed to a slow pace and the pair slowly moved across the dance floor, joining many others. Velvet looked up into Raiko's clouded eyes, then gasped quietly when they abruptly cleared and revealed their purple colour completely. Raiko chuckled at Velvet's shocked face.

"Didn't expect that did you?" He asked and Velvet blushed and shook her head. Then something sparked between them, they locked eyes once again and Raiko leaned down. Velvet didn't realise it, but she was rising up to meet him. They closed their eyes and met. The kiss was short but wonderful to Raiko and Velvet, the pair smiling at each other with blushes. But while there was happiness in the dance, elsewhere there was evil in the air.

* * *

Bill grunted as he leapt across the rooftops, chasing after Cinder who was a few feet ahead. He landed on the edge of a roof and watched Cinder, in a tight black jumpsuit with a matching black masquerade mask, drop to the street bellow. Bill wore a long sleeved, black shirt and pants with boots, which were basically his normal school uniform. He also wore a masquerade mask, though it was a dark grey, a pair of black gloves and a belt that held a number of knives and a holstered pistol. Bill dropped down and grunted as he landed next to Cinder, who scowled at him.

"Could you be any louder?" She hissed as Bill remained silent, looking from the darkness of the building at the Cross Continental Transmit System Tower. The objective was simple, get in and plant a virus then get out, taking out any soldiers in the way.

"Let's get this over with." Bill snapped, Cinder huffed and dashed into some bushes near the tower, just as an Atlas soldier with yellow details on his armour walked past. Bill crossed the street and the soldier spotted him, opening his mouth to shout but Cinder hit his neck, causing the soldier to go limp and fall into her arms. The witch dragged him into the bushes before joining Bill at the front doors, he opened them and let Cinder walk into before marching in.

"Go have some fun." Cinder said with a strange husky undertone, nonetheless, Bill grinned and walked down the hall. He saw two Atlas soldiers walking around an elevator and grabbed a small knife from his belt, one of many, before pulling it back and saying loudly.

"Catch." The word caught the two guards' attention and they turned, one caught the knife with his throat and collapsed. The other raised his rifle and shot a burst of aura infused bullets, which would've caused a normal huntsman to flinch and get to cover with a bit of aura lost. Bill wasn't a normal huntsman, he walked menacingly towards the man who continued to fire, which only rewarded slight twitches of acknowledgement from the Abandoned Captain. Bill swatted the gun aside and pulled another, larger knife from his belt and slammed it through the soldier's aura and jaw. The man collapsed and Bill yanked the knife out, blood splattered on his chest and arms.

"Get him!" A shut from behind, Bill spun and lobbed the knife at one of the three soldiers that had suddenly appeared. The one on the left was the most unlucky to catch the knife with his chest, the other two had their heads smashed together by Cinder. The witch sauntered past Bill and called the elevator down, which opened a second later and revealed two Atlas guards.

"It's BEACON, but replace the E with a three and add a hashtag symbol at the end." One of the soldiers said to the other, who was holding a tablet. The pair noticed Bill and Cinder and froze, the two black clad infiltrators entered the elevator with smirks.

"Gidday." Bill greeted as the elevator doors shut, muffling the screams of the two soldiers. The doors opened again and Bill left the elevator first, holding the tablet in his hand he moved towards the many desks and terminals. Cinder walked out soon after and glanced around, her burning eyes looking for anymore threats. "So then, you gonna put in your thing or what?" Bill asked with a massive smirk, Cinder glared at him and pulled a small USB from one of her pockets and quickly accessed one of the computers. Something caught her eye when she got the virus working however, it was a small box with an antenna and a wire running into another computer, one that seemed to be connected to a number of radio stations.

"What is this?" Cinder asked herself and picked the tiny radio up, when she turned it over she saw a brass ring on the back. Almost immediately an extreme pain struck her shoulder and she gasped, before she could turn she was kicked into the computer. Bill turned and saw a dark figure pick up the radio and shove it in a pocket before lifting a pistol in his direction, Bill grinned and walked towards the figure. Then he felt a searing pain in his ribs and threw himself behind a table, Bill gripped the wound and felt blood pouring out.

"Good soldiers follow orders, Captain!" The figure sneered and retreated to the elevator. "Maybe this'll be a lesson!" The man jeered and waved as the elevator closed. Cinder hissed and pushed herself up, she looked over to Bill who was walking towards her with a hand on his chest.

"Fuckers! Those bastards will pay." Bill hissed and Cinder scoffed, then winced at the pain of moving.

"First, we need to get out of here. Then we have a nice little chat." Cinder said with a sinister undertone, Bill chuckled.

"Sure, why not? Let's have some tea as well, what about a nice movie and to end it all, a bedtime story." Bill sarcastically said as he punched the elevator call button. "Goddamnit, they just wanna halt progress at every turn." Bill mumbled and waited for the elevator to come up, when it did he went to enter. Bill bumped into someone and caused him to jerk his attention to the real world, it was Ruby-fucking-Rose, and she had her scythe. Bill smashed his forehead into hers and knocked her out, then pulled her out of the elevator and entered it with Cinder.

"Great, what next? General Ironwood?" Cinder asked sarcastically, then her own radio piped up with the voice of Mercury.

"Heads up, Ironwood's left the party." Cinder swore and Bill grimaced, rolled his shoulders.

"Run?" Bill asked and Cinder nodded. "Wonderful, I do enjoy being shot and then going on a run." He said happily, Cinder ignored him and waited for the doors to open. When they did, the pair sprinted through the long hallway and past the bodies of the Atlas guards. They burst into the nighttime air and took off into the night, barely missing the tall form of General Ironwood. As they ran, Bill heard a voice from the rooftops.

"If you were a better person, you wouldn't be here." He looked up and saw the figure, their full face mask shining in the dark with their wolf ears standing up. Bill glared at the Auxiliary as they turned and disappeared from view, then he looked forwards and thought about what the future holds for him.

* * *

The dance was nearing to a close and Raiko noticed Velvet's tired eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, holding the rabbit faunus in a bridal style.

"U-um, R-R-Raiko, w-what are y-you doing?!" She asked surprised and with a heavy blush, the boy blinked and clouded his eyes.

"Getting you to a bed, besides it's getting late." Raiko answered and walked past the door girl, who whistled at the pair. Velvet covered her face to hide her blush and Raiko chuckled. "You're so cute, you know that." Raiko's words caused Velvet to squeak and use her ears to hide herself further. Raiko walked through the halls and came to the dorm section, he stopped and knelt down and gently put Velvet on her feet.

"T-thank y-you." Velvet murmured with a small smile, then she led him to her dorm and turned around. Her eyes once again locked with his. "Um, I h-had a g-good night, t-thank you again." Raiko smiled and leaned down, kissing her forehead.

"No, thank you for making this night even better." Raiko's words made Velvet blush once more, then she jumped up and pecked him on the lips and disappeared into her room. Raiko felt his lips and smiled, before turning and wandering off to find his own dorm. He entered it after finding it and found Alex and Sam already in their beds, completely spent of energy from dancing or something. Raiko got into a tanktop and a pair of grey pants before hopping into bed, falling asleep almost immediately. But once again, in a dorm room nearby, a blond haired girl struggled with her dreams.

* * *

A tall knight started to walk towards me, behind his massive form was an even larger inferno of flames and faces. I wanted to run, but something held me there, in the path of this grinning knight. I felt my fingers twitching and tried to yank my hand up, the knight drew closer and I smelt the stench of blood and metal. The knight raised hand and reached for me, just as my hand flew up. I threw a punch and hit the knight's hand, causing a massive crunch to echo through the flaming arena. I watch in horror as a small hooded figure fell to their knees in front of me, their face shattered like glass and revealed a pit of darkness.

Suddenly a large hand landed on my shoulder, it burned and I wanted to scream. Then a sudden pain in my chest caused my eyes to drift down, a massive coiled blade of pure fire had pierced my heart. I was hauled into the air and displayed to the wall of flaming faces, and the little figure in the torn, red hood. Suddenly I was dropped, like the sword suddenly disappeared. My head started to cloud and I struggled to think, another burning hand grabbed my head and yanked me back, forcing my eyes up and into the horrific and inhuman grin. Another hand reached down and gripped my face, an extreme pain forced itself into my mind and I struggled to get away.

Then the knight leaned down and it's face cracked, almost like a mirror, and shards fell from the vestige of that grin. The face shattered and revealed...

* * *

Yang shot up in her bed, her eyes wild and her fists up. After a moment of heavy breathing she slowly lowered her arms, declaring in her mind to not speak of that nightmare to anyone. She slowly and cautiously dropped back to her bed and closed her eyes, returning to the land of dreams. Unlucky, that this so called nightmare is a vision of the possible future, the future of glory.

 **Good god and sweet Jesus, that took far too long to complete. Once again I'm sorry for the hiatus, but I should be more free for the next two or so months, so hopefully more chapters! Yay. Anyways, a few things to summarise.**

 **1\. Raiko and Velvet are a thing, once again a reminder I ain't a romance writer so romance will be... sketchy?**

 **2\. Bill is actively being denied his glory, poor poor Bill, trying to finish what he started.**

 **3\. A new radio station? Possibly, tune in to 37.0 to find out (Don't, it's not an actual station).**

 **4\. It's just a dream, just a dream. Just. A. Dream.**

 **Welp that's all for now folks. Cheers.**


	5. Team BRAS: Search and Rescue

**This first part is still during the night, I could've added it onto the last chapter but I'm both too lazy (a lie) and too stubborn (not a lie) to do that, so you get this. Suck it up cupcakes. Also another reminder, if you forgot, I do not own RWBY, that privilege belongs to Rooster Teeth and the creator Monty Oum, may he rest in peace.**

Bill and Cinder waited in her team's dorm room for Mercury and Emerald, now wrapped in bandages and sitting in silence. Bill looked out the window, into the dark of the night, his eyes narrowed. Cinder sat on her bed with her hand on her bandaged shoulder, scowling at his back.

"Well, gonna explain what happened back there?" Cinder asked coldly and Bill glanced at her.

"Expecting me to know every answer once again? Not even I would order my own soldiers to shoot at you, then again they seem to want to destroy everything I do." Bill snapped and went back to staring out the window, Cinder sighed then looked at the clock on the wall.

"The dance should be long since finished, Mercury and Emerald will be back soon, I'd get an excuse ready for my injuries." Cinder said sweetly and Bill grunted. Not a moment later, the door opened and two teens walked in, the tanned Emerald and the smug Mercury. Almost immediately, Emerald dashed over to Cinder and Mercury approached Bill.

"Cinder? What happened?" Emerald asked quickly as Mercury readied himself to attack Bill, Cinder waved a hand in his direction and the grey haired merc took a step back.

"I think Bill can explain." Cinder responded with a smirk, Bill turned around with a huge smirk.

"We fell down the stairs!" He stated and clapped his hands, Mercury cracked a grin while Emerald narrowed her eyes at the boy. Bill's grin faded and he scowled. "We got jumped, one of my... associates, attacked us." Bill said and Mercury chuckled.

"Seems like you have a lot of control over them." He smugly said and Bill snorted.

"Fucking hilarious." Bill sneered and leaned back against the window. "Those bullets weren't a joke, pierced our aura with a single shot. Can't say this isn't the first time I was shot though." Bill mumbled, Cinder got up and walked up to him. She placed a hand on his cheek and made him look up at her, his eyes empty of any emotion.

"If you join us, that'll never happen again." She whispered and Bill looked hopeful, causing her to internally smile at his naive nature. Then Bill pushed her back gently and walked towards the door.

"I can't... can't give them another reason to want to kill me." Bill stated and left the dorm, leaving the three to look at each other. Mercury was the first to speak.

"You think we can trust him for any longer?" His words caused Cinder to chuckle, her eyes burning with sinister intent.

"No, but he still has some uses left. Besides, when his little 'army' comes, he'll need someone to take him in." Cinder said with a smirk. "Then, we kill him." Her words caused Emerald and Mercury to smile slightly, then the notion of sleep drew them into their beds. Bill quietly entered his own dorm, slipping out of the black suit and into something more comfortable. Before he climbed into bed, he glared at Raiko, at his source of torment. He did nothing else however, Bill knew he was far too weak to take on the Link, so he settled for sleeping.

* * *

Team RWBY were awake and waiting in the cafeteria, their leader nowhere in sight. Yang's hair was wild, more so than usual, and she had bags under her eyes. Blake watched the blond girl falling asleep then jerking awake, something was clearly eating away at her.

"Yang?" Blake asked and the girl glanced at her, a smile on her face.

"Yeah?"

"Are you ok?"

"Pshh, of course I am!"

"No you're not." Blake stated and Yang frowned. "You look terrible."

"Oh, looking at me are you? Liking what you see?" Yang asked and Blake glared at her.

"You didn't hear what I just said did you?" Yang blinked. "Is everything ok, Yang?" The blond turned away and looked worried.

"Just a nightmare, Blakey, just a nightmare." Yang said, Blake wanted to ask more but Weiss sat down and began to talk.

"Is Ruby still with the Headmaster?" She asked and Yang nodded tiredly. "I wonder what she did to end up there?"

Ruby was freaking out, to put simply. She was in the Headmaster's office, where not only Professor Ozpin sat but General Ironwood of the Atlas Military. The General was in his usual white uniform, though missing his revolver, and Ozpin was in a black coat and pants, sipping away at his most faithful companion, his coffee. Professor Goodwitch was also there, standing to the side near Ozpin.

"So, Ruby, what happened at the CCT?" Professor Ozpin asked and Ruby shuffled her feet.

"Um, I don't know, I was knocked out by some guy in a mask." Ruby said shyly and General Ironwood sighed.

"Did you not see the men inside? They were dead, how did you miss that?" The General snapped and scowled at the girl, who looked away.

"That's enough, James." Ozpin said with authority, causing the other man to huff and step back. "You must understand, Miss Rose, that this was an attack on one of our most important buildings. We must know as much as we can, so we can act accordingly." Ozpin continued with a calming voice, Ruby nodded and looked back at the two men.

"Well, before I was knocked out, I saw that there were two people in black masks. One was a woman and the other was a boy, he was the one who headbutted me, he... looked familiar, though I couldn't tell why." Ruby looked thoughtful then blushed and returned to the present. "I saw that they both held their bodies, like they'd been injured, but that wouldn't make sense, I didn't see anyone else there or outside."

"Black masks, people capable of attacking through Aura, strange." Glynda stated and looked at Ozpin.

"This is indeed strange." Ozpin muttered and Ironwood rubbed his chin.

"Seems like these two infiltrators weren't the only ones in the CCT last night, thank you for your assistance in this matter." The General said to Ruby then looked at Ozpin. "I have to report this to the Atlesian Council, if you'll excuse me." With that the General passed Ruby and disappeared into the elevator. Ruby shuffled awkwardly and grinned at Ozpin who smiled back.

"You are dismissed, Miss Rose, enjoy the mission you choose for today." Ozpin said to the girl, who blinked in confusion then beamed with excitement.

"I almost forgot! Thank you Professor!" Ruby said with a massive grin and quickly walked over to the elevator and called it up, before hopping onto it she looked back at Ozpin. "Enjoy your day!" She cheerfully yelled and waved as the doors shut, Goodwitch coughed and checked her scroll.

"I must be going too, need to get some order at the auditorium for your speech." Goodwitch said to Ozpin and turned to the elevator as well, when she disappeared Ozpin sighed and rubbed his temples.

"What is it Qrow?" He asked suddenly, silently a figure stumbled from the shadows. His grey shirt, red tattered cape and red eyes were, like always, ruffled. Qrow chuckled at Ozpin and took a swig of his flask before staring at the Headmaster.

"Just checking up, Oz. Looks like you're having some trouble." Qrow stated in a raspy voice, his smirk dripping with smugness.

"Mount Glenn's exploding, Oobleck's injury and encounter, the CCT attack and James." Ozpin listed off tiredly. "My plate is full, It doesn't help that one of the teams here in Beacon are becoming something of possible threat." Qrow blinked at that, his eyebrow rose.

"Some students are becoming a threat? Huh, they must be good." Qrow sarcastically sneered and tilted his head back, drinking deeply.

"They have links to the Banished." Ozpin said casually and Qrow snapped his head down at stared at him.

"What?!" He exclaimed and sauntered over to Ozpin's desk and placed his hands on it. "How the hell does a couple of kids get involved with them?!" Qrow snarled and Ozpin shrugged, sipping at his coffee.

"So far, we can only guess." Qrow stared at his friend with even wider eyes.

"Are you kidding me? Those bastards were left on their island for a reason, if they have people here, in Beacon, then we have to act!" Qrow slammed a fist onto Ozpin's desk, causing it to dent. Ozpin stared at the dent then looked at Qrow.

"We cannot."

"What?"

"We cannot act yet, doing so could cause them to attack in full force." Ozpin leaned forwards in his chair. "Don't think I don't care about my students, if I could do what I wanted then they'd be the first in harms way."

"So, what's the plan, Oz?" Qrow asked after a moment, Ozpin leaned back and sipped his bottomless coffee.

"We wait." Ozpin stood up and sipped once again from his mug. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to give a speech to the students about history."

"I can't wait to get out there and away from this place." Bill said with a scowl as he and his team, among others, waited in the auditorium for Professor Goodwitch to speak. He was in his brass armour, like the twins and Raiko, and held his helmet under his right arm. Sam and Alex glanced between Bill and Raiko, knowing that something had happened. Raiko turned his head in Bill's direction and stared at the tense boy, his banner held over his shoulder with his right hand.

 **"You seem troubled, Bill."** Raiko signed and Bill snorted, glaring at the blind boy.

"Sorry, just that I slept a bit sorely, due to a sudden case of gunshot wound." Bill snapped and Raiko frowned slightly.

 **"I thought you were simply doing an easy operation, not getting into fights without Aura."** Raiko signed, Bill opened his mouth to respond but Professor Goodwitch appear on stage and began to speak.

"Quiet! Quiet please. Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin." Professor Goodwitch said and stepped away from the microphone, Professor Ozpin stepped forwards and looked over the crowd of students.

"Today we stand together, united. Mistral. Atlas. Vacuo. Vale. The four kingdoms of Remnant." Bill scoffed at that, Sam coughed and Alex and Raiko frowned. "On this day, nearly eighty years ago, one of the largest wars in history came to an end. This war was one of ignorance, of greed, of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons, one of which was the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression." Raiko raised an eyebrow at that, Alex softened his frown and Sam looked a bit saddened by the fact. "And as you are well aware, that was something that many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself; colour."

Bill, Raiko, Sam and Alex glanced between themselves at that, but quickly returned their attention to the Headmaster.

"It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither were the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together, united." Ozpin seemed to stand a bit straighter with that, causing many of the students to do so without realising. "But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it. As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the Kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best." Ozpin finished and stepped away from the microphone, soon students were leaving the hall to find the mission boards.

"Any suggestions, lads?" Bill asked as he followed Raiko, who held his banner high, becoming a beacon for his teammates to find if lost among the crowd.

"I don't mind, as long as I get out of town." Sam stated cheerfully, Bill rolled his eyes.

"Hunting Grimm sounds fun, perhaps in the south? Could check up on whatever's left of the little defence." Alex put it, though more quietly so only Sam could hear, Bill nodded and looked forwards to Raiko. Only to find him gone, Bill glanced around and saw his friend's banner near a large screen. The trio walked through the teams of students and saw Raiko pressing one of the missions, though it kept turning red. It read 'Search and Rescue', pretty strange and even more so for the location, Mount Glenn.

"Huh, looks like you had the same idea, Raiko." Bill muttered and read the message on the mission, stating it was for higher year levels. "What the hell? For second years and up? Why put it up then?" Bill asked angrily, somebody coughed nearby and he turned to them. It was Professor Ozpin.

"You seem very interested about this mission, BRAS." Ozpin said calmly and took a sip of coffee, Bill blinked and nodded. "Then let me get that for you." Professor Ozpin stepped up to the holographic screen and tapped the 'Search and Rescue' mission, it turned green and the portraits of team BRAS appeared on the right side of the small box, then Ozpin turned and left. Bill glanced at his friends and raised an eyebrow.

"That was strange." Bill said and glanced at the mission details. "Mmm, seems easy enoug- hold on. Sergeant Walker has been reported missing in action after failing to report back after a mission to Mount Glenn, what?" Bill asked confused, he turned to his other teammates with a frown.

"Eh, maybe something caught their attention and then something went wrong." Sam said casually, not keen on explaining the presence of Abandoned forces on the mountain. Bill scratched his head then shrugged, he turned to Raiko.

"Raiko, a word?" Bill asked calmly, the banner-bearer glanced at him and nodded. Bill walked away a few feet and pulled Raiko's head down to his height. "What the fuck do you think you are doing?" He hissed. "First I get shot at by, no doubt, an Abandoned soldier. Then you decide to ignore me, my orders, and do whatever the fuck you want?" Raiko stared at the shorter boy and slowly straightened to his full height, not losing eye contact.

 **"You seem eager to forget, I outrank you, no matter the situation."** Raiko signed and marched away, banner high above the heads of the student crowd. Bill scowled at Raiko and followed after, spotting team RWBY next to Alex and Sam at the mission board. He glanced at the screen and saw they had chosen to follow a huntsman around an outer town, Bill then coughed and got his team's attention.

"Let's go, I wanna see who we're tailing." Bill grunted and shoved his helmet on, the brass mask giving him a sense of comfort. He turned and led his team out of the building and out onto the landing platform, immediately spotting a man in what looked like safari garb. Doctor Oobleck saw them and exhaled before dashing over.

"Good mourning, students!" The Doctor greeted quickly. "Team BRAS is it?"

"Aye, I'm Bill." Bill said with a nod. "I lead our merry band." Sam snorted, Alex smacked him over the head.

"Right, well, are you ready to go and find that missing soldier?" Oobleck asked, his words flying at mach three.

"Of course, can't leave anyone out beyond the walls." Bill said.

"Leave no man behind." Alex added with a grunt, the Doctor looked at him for a moment then turned around.

"Come along then!" He said and disappeared, reappearing next to a Bullhead. Team BRAS jogged over and climbed aboard, taking their seats and silently waiting for the airship to depart. The Doctor walked into the cockpit and patted the Pilot's shoulder, the man nodded and started to ascend. When the Doctor came back into the holding bay, he sat next to Alex and observed the students.

Bill sat with his legs folded, holding Brand on his lap and using a bar of stone to sharpen it's lethal edge. Doctor Oobleck saw him as a somewhat troubled young man, though he led with a lot of authority and kept his head straight. The Doctor looked over to Raiko, who had his banner resting on his shoulder as he pulled out a small harmonica. Raiko seemed like he hid something, that he had what seemed like many secrets and that he chose to reveal and change each one carefully. Next was Alex, who was slumped on his seat, eyes closed with his hands on Thundering Brass. He seemed like the most mature, but with a hidden past. Oobleck looked at Sam, he was listening to Raiko play his Harmonica. He looked like a very eccentric fellow, but once again looked like he was hiding something.

The Doctor sighed and sat back, enjoying the ride and Raiko's music, though still on edge around this strange and mysterious team.

 **Next chapter is gonna be fun, that Atlas soldier is going to be a bit more than a handful. Anyhow, I had a brain fart when I was copying that speech from Ozpin, I was writing it word by word until I remembered that copy and past was the thing... I am an idiot.**


	6. Team BRAS: Hide and Seek

**First thing, this chapter is a bit different so expect some OOC moments. Some references here and there, I don't what my reviews drowned by them, you know who you are. Anyhow, enjoy and have a Merry Christmas.**

The mountain came into view within a few hours, Oobleck clapped his hands and returned to the seated team. They all were alert and turned, almost in perfect sync, to the Doctor. He grew slightly nervous when the visors snapped to him, Bill's mask didn't help his newfound fear. He coughed and put his hands behind his back.

"Right, we will be arriving on Mount Glenn within a few moments. The Bullhead will come back either at the end of the week, or when we retrieve the missing soldier." Doctor Oobleck said and sat next to Alex again. Sam pulled his scroll from within one of his plates of armour and lazily flipped through it, then seemed to perk up.

"No way." He said to himself, causing Alex to lean over and stare at the scroll, soon he flipped his visor up and leaned closer.

"Well I'll be damned." Alex muttered with a smirk, Sam pressed on his scroll and a guitar riff suddenly filled the bay. Bill and Raiko looked over quickly and Oobleck blinked in confusion at the strange excitement that the team were showing. The riff ended and a rough but jolly voice piped up.

"Gooooood mourning, Remnant! You are tuned into 37.0 with your host, me!" The voice said, immediately the Doctor realised they were interested in this radio station, it wasn't familiar to him however. "To all the new listeners, welcome to the slice of paradise that is my voice. My name is Robert, but I go by Radioman on this station. Now, for free of charge, some facts that I found to be true." The Radioman chuckled and Alex rubbed his hands together. "Did you know that those pesky Grimm, yeah those ugly mo-fo buggers, they really hate Mount Glenn at the moment? From what I can tell, some group of people know how to turn them around real quick, maybe the huntsmen can learn a thing or two."

The Doctor blinked and frowned at Sam's scroll, what is this 'Radioman' talking about? Mount Glenn is covered with Grimm, at least was... maybe he was right.

"Oh, another thing, the White Fang have been spotted around Vale in large numbers. I ain't one for warning, or threatening for that matter, but I will give these terrorists a piece of advice. Stay away, do not attack these people, or even the ghosts of the past will raze your little attempt for some misguided idea." The Radioman's friendly voice dropped to a harsh one, then promptly returned to friendly. "Also, apparently there's a mode on those new Atlas bots that some of the female officers enjoy... a lot, kinda creepy." Alex and Sam burst out laughing and Bill chuckled, even Raiko seemed to shake with laughter.

"I've never heard of this station before, when did they appear?" Doctor Oobleck asked and Alex looked over with a grin.

"Just a station from home, was local back then. Looks like he got a deal or something, personally I missed his talks." Alex said and continued to listen.

"I want to shoutout a large group of people, doing their part in protecting the people of Remnat. Now, you must be thinking "Mister Radioman, that must be the huntsmen." No, these people are surprisingly more trustworthy than huntsmen. Anyhow, now for some music from a small band from Atlas, Another Direction!" The Radioman cheered with somewhat false enthusiasm as the music from the boy band started to play, only to be silenced by Sam.

"Man, can't stand that trash." He stated with a shake of his head, then he looked at Oobleck. "Sir, it's time to get moving." The Doctor nodded and stood up, knocking on the cockpit door. The back door opened and revealed the ruins of Mount Glenn, in the background was a thin column of smoke. Raiko crouched and took a few steps down the ramp, then leapt off and slammed into the ground. Bill sprang out of the bay and landed next to Raiko, Sam and Alex waited a little more for the airship to descend before Sam jumped and Alex rolled out of the ship. When the Bullhead landed, Doctor Oobleck saw the team in defensive positions, all around Raiko.

"Area clear, Doctor Oobleck." Bill barked after scanning the nearby buildings, the Doctor blurred over to Raiko and watched the Bullhead take off. He turned back around and saw Bill with Brand on his shoulder and Thorn by his side staring at him. "What's the plan of attack?"

"First, find any Grimm. Second, find anything that could point us in a direction of the soldier. Third, get the soldier back here and call the Bullhead. Last, we all go back to Beacon." Doctor Oobleck listed off quickly in rapid succession, Bill nodded and looked at Raiko.

"You and Alex will head to the left, go around the outskirts until you get back here then head in and repeat. Sam and I will to the same. If we're lucky, we can find this guy either today or tomorrow." Bill stated, the team nodded but the Doctor coughed.

"Sorry to interrupt, but there's two things I find to clash with your plan. First, the countless Grimm on the mountain, and who I go with." Oobleck said quickly, Bill looked to his left then right.

"There ain't a Grimm in sight, besides we can handle lesser Grimm easily, and you will switch pairs when we meet up each time." Bill explained calmly, the Doctor had to admit he was right about the Grimm situation.

"Daylights burning, we should get moving." Alex grunted and hefted Thundering Brass onto his shoulder. The Doctor sighed and stepped over to Alex and Raiko's side, deciding to walk with the quieter pair first. The teams departed and Oobleck took the chance to ask some questions.

"So, why did you chose to become a huntsman, Alex?" Oobleck asked and took a sip from his thermos, Alex hummed for a moment.

"To prove my worth, to follow Sam, to defend those who cannot defend themselves. The usual." Alex grunted and the Doctor frowned. "But to be honest, it was to get away from home. We were a simple people, we just... couldn't handle every debt." Alex murmured, thinking up a lie on the go. "So we joined a small combat school, just Sam and me. We stood out and were transferred to Haven, there we met Raiko and Bill." Alex said and raised a fist up, Raiko bumped it with his own.

"Hmm, interesting." The Doctor said to himself, then turned his attention to Raiko. "What about you, Raiko?"

"Can you understand sign language?" Alex asked the Doctor, who shook his head. "Right, Raiko I'll translate." Raiko nodded and started to sign. "I became a huntsman to learn and see more of the world, my home was isolated and only a few traders came. When the chance to become a huntsman arose, I took it and the rest is history." Alex finished and Doctor Oobleck nodded a few times.

"Where was your home?" The Doctor asked and Raiko started to sign again.

"An island off Mistral, it was tiny and housed around fifty people when I left." Alex said and glanced at Raiko, Oobleck nodded again.

"Sounds like a nice place. Anyway I think we should be nearing the opposite end of the town soon, keep an eye out." The Doctor said and took another sip of his trusty thermos. The trio walked around the last building and saw in the distance the other pair, one of them waved and Alex returned it. Doctor Oobleck hummed to himself, wanting to ask about these very... militaristic tactics they were using.

Suddenly something moved in his peripherals, the Doctor turned and saw a dark shape ducking behind a building. Seems like he wasn't the only one to notice, Alex looked in the direction of the movement and pulled his scroll out.

"Sam, Bill, movement spotted near our location. We're moving in, we'll meet up on the next street." Alex barked into the scroll and raised his sword above his head before pointing it at the building, Oobleck spotted the other pair sprinting into the ruins. "Looks like we found either a Grimm or that soldier." Alex grunted and turned to Oobleck. "Let's go, Sir."

"Lead the way." The Doctor said quickly and ran with the pair of boys into the ruins.

* * *

Corporal Walker shakily peered over a stone wall, staring at those two golden terrors with that green haired maniac. He slid down the wall and pulled his new pistol from his belt, or what was left of it. Walker was terrified, they were back for him. He saw them leave but now they're back, he wouldn't go quietly though.

"Those bastards are gonna pay for what they've done." The Corporal hissed and vaulted over the wall, crouching in the street and watching the two soldiers disappear around another building. His mouth turned downwards in a grim scowl, his eyes still covered by the darkened visor of his helmet. The soldier started to stalk after the trio, waiting for a time to strike, then they stopped. Walker smirked as the green haired man turned and brgan to walk towards him, too easy.

* * *

Alex and Raiko glanced around as they followed Oobleck, after he made the comment of how he was supposed to lead them around and not the other way around. Raiko held his banner high, not allowing anything to make it fall. Alex had his shield up and held his greatsword above his head, using the middle handle of Thundering Brass. Doctor Oobleck simply held his thermos in his hand casually.

"It's unnerving, the quiet." Alex mumbled and Raiko nodded, suddenly he stopped and looked at Alex. "Doctor, behind us." The Doctor stopped and slowly turned around, staring past the two boys and at something behind them.

"Looks like we found our friend." He said and started to walk past the pair, only to be stopped by Raiko grabbing his arm. The Doctor looked at the silent boy with a raised eyebrow, noting Raiko's head moving as if he was listening to something. Then Raiko twisted around and dragged Oobleck in front of his body, just a second before the sound of a gun firing echoed around the silent street. Raiko grunted and Oobleck felt the tall boy jerk a bit, loosening his grip on the Doctor.

"Fucker!" Alex roared and charged the deranged man, who quickly scuttled into another ruined building. Alex lunged at the building and smashed his sword down against a rusted support, causing the roof to collapse. The soldier rolled out at the last moment and shot twice at Alex, who stumbled back before swinging at him. Raiko turned around and charged into the scuffle, Doctor Oobleck was hesitant to join but realised he should stop these two before it gets out of hand.

Alex blocked another shot from the Atlas Soldier and swung his sword in a low arc, grunting loudly. The soldier shot two more times before noticing Raiko and the Doctor approaching, then he turned and sprinted down a side street and disappeared. Alex turned to chase after but Raiko grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back, holding him as the boy breathed heavily. The Doctor slowly approached and examined Alex's armour.

"Hmm, that soldier has a weapon that can pierce Aura." Oobleck stated as he saw the tiny holes in Alex's chest and side, remembering the shooters from his own mission to this mountain. Alex huffed and Raiko released him.

"That man is insane." He stated, putting his shielded hand on his gut. "So, what's the plan now?"

"We link back up with Bill, then move as a group." Doctor Oobleck said and Raiko nodded, Alex grunted and hit his chest.

"Let's go then." Alex said and followed after Oobleck.

* * *

Corporal Walker slid the empty clip out of his pistol and threw it aside, changing it with a fresh one. He wasn't happy, those bastards were still alive, the murderers. Walker breathed heavily, holding his head as he thought over his actions.

"This... isn't my fault." He whispered and glanced over the second story windowsill, looking out for anymore of those golden murderers. "They brought this upon themselves." He told himself, for they wore the armour of those killers and that man followed willingly. The Corporal heard heavy footsteps and glanced over the edge, two more of those bastard knights.

Walker grinned and pulled a pebble from the ruined floor, once more he peered over and tossed it behind the pair.

* * *

"Far too quiet, it's unnatural." Sam commented, twirling his halberd in his right hand. "Only thing quieter is Raiko and most of those Centurions." Bill grunted and looked around, holding both swords near his sides.

"Aye, but enough chatter. I have a feeling that the others aren't safe." Bill said and glanced at the tops of the buildings. Suddenly a noise from behind. Bill spun around and swung Brand across his body, sending a burning ring out and down the street. Sam was turning when he spotted something in an upstairs window, it looked like a man with a gun. He pulled Blitz Fang around and blasted the window with a bolt of lightning. Sam and Bill heard a pained grunt and then the sound of gunfire, then Sam felt a sting of pain.

"Aura piercing?!" He barked out and spun his halberd above his head, blocking a bullet that flew at him. "Get that guy!" Sam said and Bill leapt up, both swords raised. He landed on the windowsill and saw an Atlas soldier with blackened armour, in his hands was an Abandoned pistol. Which was aimed at his face.

"Easy! We're here from Beacon and we're here to rescue you!" Bill quickly said and the man slowly grinned, but not in joy.

"Beacon joined with you fucks? Liar!" The soldier screamed and started to shoot, forcing Bill to either block the shots or get out. He chose the latter and stepped out of the window, landing with a thud. He heard rapid footsteps above him then a quiet thud, that soldier had jumped out into the back street. Bill snarled and looked at Sam.

"We need to meet up with the others, this mission just got a lot harder." Bill stated and started to run down the street, Sam followed after. It took only a few minutes till they saw the other three, all five slowed to a stop and stared at each other. The Doctor rubbed his tembles and sighed, Alex knelt on one knee, Raiko leaned on his banner and both Sam and Bill breathed heavily.

"This mission is going downhill, fast." Bill stated, Sam snorted.

"Really? What gave that away, Captain?" Sam asked sarcastically.

"Shut it, Sam." Bill snapped and Sam chuckled, Alex spoke up.

"I say that we make a plan of attack, or rescue. This soldier is both mad and knowledgeable of the area, we need to tread carefully, especially due to his weapon." Alex grunted, causing the two boys to mumble in agreement.

"Right, I have already made a plan!" The Doctor suddenly said with enthusiasm. "It involves going around the sides of town, finding a downed Bullhead, looking for anything that could assist us in this soldier's capture and then-"

"Hold on, what Bullhead?" Bill slowly asked, the Doctor blinked in sudden confusion.

"Oh, um..." Doctor Oobleck rubbed the back of his head, then perked up. "It crashed here a few months ago, yes!" The Doctor said with a grin, team BRAS stared at the Doctor in confusion as sweat began to drip down his face.

"Doctor Oobleck, what Bullhead?" Bill asked again, though more forcefully.

"I... may have had a mission here... a few days ago." Oobleck said slowly, scared of what the boys would do. After all, their armour looked extremely similar to that behemoth he fought and he saw nothing like it in any books except for mentions of its use by an old, banished army. "I had a few squads of Atlesian soldiers for support, I suppose one of the squads... crashed?" The Doctor's words did little to detour the intensity of the boys' stares, even behind their visors he could feel anger.

"Why didn't you tell us before we got here?" Sam asked casually, surprising Oobleck.

"I thought- I was thinking... Honestly I don't know why." The Doctor admitted, Alex grunted.

"Just don't leave anymore details out next time, could lead to somebody dead." Alex said with a serious tone. "What's the rest of the plan?" The Doctor smiled at the boys and continued his plan.

"When we get to the crashed Bullhead, we look for anything that could help us track or capture this man. Then we hunt this man down, either talk him down or knock him out and finally bring the Bullhead for transport to go home." Doctor Oobleck stated and took a long sip from his thermos. The four boys silently nodded in agreement to the plan, standing up with a new energy.

"Alright lads, we got the plan, let's execute it!" Bill cheered and held Thorn up at chest height, Sam immediately placed the head of Blitz Fang on top and Alex heaved Thundering Brass onto the blades, even Raiko stepped forwards and placed a hand on the pile of weapons. Oobleck watched the group with fascination, not used to seeing this serious team do something like this.

"Nam quod aes!" They cheered and raised their weapons high, Oobleck blinked when he thought he saw another person raising a large sword. Then they turned at stared at Oobleck, with weapons at the ready.

"Come along then!" The Doctor said with a smile and dashed towards another street, the team followed quickly.

* * *

Walker jumped across another building, moving towards the centre of town. He wasn't going to be taken down, not by those bastards or that green maniac. He checked his ammo and swore, his last one and a half clips. Walker pulled his helmet off and rubbed his eyes, spreading a black grime over his face. He stared at his broken helmet and dropped it down an alley before leaping over to the next building.

"It's gotta be a lie, they can't be with Beacon. I saw the bodies, I heard the screams. Those guys can't be with Beacon." Walker mumbled to himself, then jumped through a window and slid down through a hole in the floor. Walker landed with a grunt and walked over to a lone chair in the small room, sitting down and holding his head to rest.

* * *

 **Whoa, another chapter within a few days? I'm on a roll! The references in this chapter are from Spec Ops: The Line, the best game to play if you want to feel like shit trying to be a hero. Once again, sorry if Oobleck was out of character in this one, I forgot how he acted and spoke so I winged it. Besides that, I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas. Cheers.**


	7. Team AUXILIARY: Camp of Fire

**This chapter follows Vex, you remember him? That wolf faunus who gave that message to Raiko and shot Bill? Anyway, it's a bit less about him and a bit more of the Radioman, giving an explanation of why the Abandoned speak so highly of him, and the general life of the Abandoned's camp. Just a peaceful chapter, which will run alongside the next chapter (time of day wise).**

"Vex walked past the soldier that stood outside Captain Crimson's tent, giving the Pathfinder a nod. Vex, like all Auxiliaries andLegionnaires, was in a platoon. His was the 'Pathfinders', lead by Captain Crimson. The platoon was made up of the standard soldiers and the namesake troopers, the Pathfinders. Their armour was the same as the Legionnaires and Auxiliaries, except for the Atlesian style helmet, armoured tank on their backs and use of flamethrowers. The helmet had a respirator to keep the fumes of the napalm out, since their specialty was fire. Many of the specialists carved skulls, grins and other emotions on their visors, giving them a nightmarish look when they walked through their flames.

Vex entered his Captain's tent and saluted with an ease that came with years of practice, the Captain in question glanced from his seat and grinned. Crimson's face was graced by strong features, but cursed by a large burn that covered his right cheek and chin. His armour was that of the Pathfinders, though his right arm was much more heavily armoured and had three red stripes running down it.

"Ave, objective completed." Vex said with his own grin, his brass mask on his forehead. Captain Crimson clapped his hands and chuckled, standing up from the table.

"Wonderful!" He said with a gruff voice, which wasn't surprisin due to his hardened appearance. The giant of a man lumbered over to another table and fumbled with a small radio, turning a dial with a grin.

"-so I said, "I don't want your damn lemons!" and then flipped the bowl out of the guy's hands. His face, man I can still make out the precise moment he lost it." The Radioman's laughing voice filled the tent, causing the Pathfinder outside to pop his head in.

"Is it back? Did we finally get a connection?" He asked hopefully, the Captain laughed and nodded vigorously.

"Yes! Yes, we have 37.0 back!" The Pathfinder cheered and the sounds of voices outside caused the man to walk back out, though he did yell out. "WE GOT THE RADIOMAN BACK!" Almost immediately the sounds of cheering came from outside, both Vex and Captain Crimson laughed.

"Ah, sir another thing." Vex said after a minute of chuckles, the Captain looked down at him with a raised eyebrow. "I shot that troublesome Captain." The Captain frowned as he thought about who he was talking about, then smirked.

"Well done, you got the first hit." Captain Crimson patted Vex's shoulder, the Auxiliary grunted under the heavy hand slapping his shoulder. "You know, you should mark that handcannon of yours. Like a reminder. 'Captain Gutter' or 'Divine Law', yeah, I'd put that on there." Crimson muttered, Vex nodded slowly and began to like the idea. He hadn't named his revolver anything, be a shame not to.

"I'll do that, thank you sir." Vex saluted and turned on his heel, marching out to the sound of another one of the Radioman's stories. He wandered through the camp, passing many soldiers listening to their personal radios or scrolls. Vex grinned and flipped his mask down, then he paused. Standing a few metres away was another soldier, but it was the absolute stillness of the, that unnerved Vex.

The black dyed armour looked intimidating, but with the golden trim it gave a sense of royalty. The two massive pauldrons ended in an upturned point, the armour layered with extra plates and a helmet whose visor looked thick enough to stop a tank shell. Then the massive crest the ran up and behind the helmet, the dark grey cape that hung from their shoulders and the long rapier, which seemed to release a freezing air, that rested on the ground, it gave the air of pure power. Vex slowly walked towards the soldier, passing them and speeding away. Not a single noise emitted from the knight, nor could Vex see any movement that indicated breathing.

"The hell?" He muttered as he glanced over his shoulder at the soldier, who remained still in the slightly open area. He shook his head and made his way to the blacksmith, in the distance he heard an explosion and laughter. "God damn pyromaniacs." He chuckled.

Soon he saw the open forge area and claimed a bench for his use. Vex flicked his revolver out of its holster and twirled it around his finger, admiring it before placing it on the metal bench. He grabbed the attention of the forgemaster and the man walked over, Vex told him the details and the man nodded. Vex turned away from the smith and looked around, looking away from the blinding light that forgemaster used to engrave his revolver's new name along the top rail.

"And she's done." The deep voiced smith grunted and Vex took the newly named Jus Divinum with a grin, though it was hidden.

"Thank you, enjoy your day." Vex said politely and walked away, twirling his revolver. Suddenly somebody throws an arm around Vex's shoulders and causes him to throw his revolver into the air.

"Ave, Vex." Devrok greeted cheerfully as Vex caught his gun, the Auxiliary scowled at the Legionnaire.

"Ave, Devrok. What brings you to this part of the camp?" Vex asked and Devrok looked hurt, then chuckled.

"I heard that you got 37.0 on the global scale, it's good to hear that guy talk about the truth again." Devrok said with a grin, then Vex remembered that black armoured soldier.

"Have you seen that black knight? It gives me the creeps." Vex said with a shiver, Devrok paused and slowly nodded.

"The one with the massive crest?" Devrok asked and Vex nodded. "Yeah, that was a Centurion."

"A Centurion? Here?" Vex asked quietly and Devrok shrugged.

"Guess the Triarii wanted to spread out their soldiers. Ah well, along now, there's some people that are keen to meet you." Devrok said and walked towards a cluster of tents, Vex remembered the first day he was an Auxiliary. It was lonely, but Devrok always came around the Auxiliary qaurter and chatted with them. Vex caught up with Devrok and saw him and two other soldiers listening to the Radioman's voice on their small radio, one was a Legionnaire and the other was a Pathfinder.

"-in all honesty, I was brought up in a pretty good place. It was loud, sure, but we had a home, food and water. But the faunus? I saw them everyday, struggling to even get a tiny bit of food. In my mind, I knew this was wrong, but everyone else? They ignored the pleas, the begging, heck one guy even spat at a family of them. Humanity, faunus, we are all the same, it's just a few more parts." The Radioman soberly said, then he laughed. "But to be honest, it was absolutely wonderful to see the day when we moved into another city, where everyone was equal. Not in a communist way of course." The four soldiers laughed with the Radioman.

"It's good to have him back." Devrok said and the Pathfinder nodded.

"Aye, these other stations suck. Just going on and on about the huntsmen and huntresses who do little things, clearing out some Grimm or stopping a robbery." The man said in a casual tone, waving his hand in the air.

"Vex, this is Gaius and Galt." The Legionnaire pointed at the Pathfinder then the other Legionnaire who nodded at Vex.

"A pleasure to meet he one who got us our station back." Galt said quietly, Gaius murmured in agreement then hushed everyone when the Radioman started to talk again.

"So, I have gotten a few reports that the White Fang have been gaining more supporters. I must say, I'm a bit disappointed in these people, who are willing helping others attack and kill their own kind. Now, now. I can tell that a few of you listeners, human and faunus, are yelling in denial... but I do not lie, the facts are there. Three nights ago, a burglary in Vale that went south. Two injured, one killed, all faunus. A month ago there was an attack on a dock, once again in Vale, leaving a large group of faunus and human workers injured. I'm sorry Vale, but you are unwillingly housing terrorists." The Radioman said with a serious tone, then it changed to a calm and understanding one. "This wasn't what you wanted is it? Those who have left the White Fang, did so because of this new leader of theirs. You simply wanted peace and equality, not bloodshed. Now there won't be equality, because of these new extremists, so I apologise to those who fought for what originally wanted."

Vex sighed and rubbed his head, touching his ears. He understood the Radioman's words, he personally wasn't part of the White Fang, but still knew the pains of inequality. There was many a day, before the Abandoned became his new home, where he was shunned.

"Something has the military of Atlas in a fit, you didn't hear this from me, but I think that General of theirs is hiding something. Come to think of it, reports say that the General was seen leaving the Atlesian council waving his arms about. Bad day, probably. Something that I just discovered about the Atlesian military really stuck out, they actually let an entire battalion disappear!" The soldiers around the radio chuckled and grinned. "The citizens of Atlas should watch out, maybe their government could abandon them too." The Radioman roared with laughter, causing many in the large camp to join in. Platoons of restless soldiers all barking with laughter, it would've been both amazing and confusing for anyone else to see or hear.

"God damnit, dropping our name like that. Ballsy!" Gaius said with a massive grin, patting his helmet. "Man, it was almost two weeks or something, but I missed this humour."

"Aye, but his segments always hide something, usually." Devrok chuckled. "It's fun to hear that serious stuff then some calm stuff, gets you thinking about the bad then throws you a curve ball." Vex was frowning behind his mask, thinking about the Radioman's words. Then a loud bell sounded and the four soldiers immediately stood and jogged the nearby 'mess hall', which was just a few tents that housed the cooks. They joined the rapidly expanding line and waited for their meals, which would be surprisingly good for a large militaristic camp. Vex got to the pots that held vegetables, meats of the wildlife and other bits and pieces that were scrounged up. He got his dinner and wandered off to his own tent.

"Home sweet home." He muttered and sat in the middle of his tent, a simple one that withstood the elements. He took off his mask and rubbed his face, then turned his attention to his dinner. His meal of deer, boar and potatoes was good, not bland but not exactly exciting. The inside of the tent was decorated with barely anything, except for a picture of his family and a journal. Vex shifted over and grabbed the journal, reading through it as he ate. While a journal was used to document or just open up to, his was filled with many stories. He had started writing at an early age, though it wasn't about heroes or some fantasy world. It was about nature, destruction and survival. Just little stories about the thing that caught his fancy, in Vex's opinion it wasn't a topic covered properly.

Vex finished his dinner and grabbed a pencil, starting to write in another blank page. As he wrote, he pulled his scroll out and found the Radioman's station. Luckily it was on a music segment, which was a few different guitars played in a desolate tune. It gave the Auxiliary some inspiration. A land of ash with two mighty foes facing another, a city submerged in sand with a damned battalion as its defenders, a tower among a burning forest. Vex's imagination went wild as he wrote, simply letting his mind lead his hand.

Then the music slowly faded away and another song played, more peaceful than the last with pianos playing instead of guitars. Now his mind thought of different scenarios. A gentle forest filled with animals that lived in harmony, a field that ran red with the colour of thousands of poppies, a man who served his lady till the end for an obsolete goal. Vex's hand started to ache from the speed of his writing, causing him to drop the pencil and clench his hand.

"Heh, bugger." Vex said with tense grin, waving his hand around to stop the pain, though he was sure it wouldn't work. Then the Radioman's voice popped on again.

"Good evening Remnant, once again you are listening to 37.0 with your host, me! There's an old story I just found, about another kingdom. Now, I ain't one for fantasy, but this seems too fictional to be true." The words of the Radioman seemed to be holding back anger. "Once upon a time, back a couple centuries or so, there were FIVE kingdoms. I know that sounds crazy, but then again, my old listeners know me better so they understand. The fifth kingdom was in the far south, but they were forgotten by the others. Left to rot in their own home as Grimm tore down their walls. There's a happy ending to all of this, they survived. Unfortunately, being betrayed started a prophecy. Spooky stuff this, I tell you. They would return and save those who are being abandoned by their guardians, striking them down and starting another era of peace." The Radioman said with a calm voice, Vex noticed just how quiet the camp was at that moment.

"Wanna hear a fun fact? You increase the chances of getting hurt, by jumping into Grimm infested territory. The more you know!" The Radioman's sudden change in attitude caused the camp to laugh, returning it back to its normal routine. "Anyway, let's listen to some tunes. Tonight we have the band 'CDCA' playing one of their hits, enjoy." The Radioman's voice once again changed to some music, though Vex turned his scroll off before it could really start.

"He's about as predictable as one of the Captain's mixtures." Vex said to himself with a grin, which disappeared when a loud explosion came from outside. Then some group of soldiers barked with laughter. "Those pyromaniacs are gonna die one day to their own weapons." Vex said to himself and took a glance outside his tent, the sun was nearing the horizon. He closed his journal and pulled his mask close before climbing into his sleeping bag, sighing in relief as he welcomed the warmth.

His eyes drifted shut and he simply listened to the sounds of the camp, the racket of laughter, the clashing of swords, the feeling of blistering cold from outside his tent. Hold on. Vex snapped up and burst out of the tent with a snarl, coming face to face with the Centurion. The towering knight was standing a few feet away, but their rapier's bite was felt even from where Vex stood. The Auxiliary glared at the Centurion, ignoring the feeling of fear.

"The hell do you want?" Vex snapped, the Centurion didn't answer but slowly moved one of their hands from their weapon, holding it open. The Auxiliary saw something in the open palm and stepped closer, peering into the massive gauntlet. Sitting there was a small pile of golden coins, marked with the face of a Legionnaire. Vex quickly looked into the visor in surprise, not expecting to be given money from a Centurion of all soldiers. The Centurion slowly nodded and Vex reached out and gathered the coins, then saluted to the knight. The Centurion turned and stomped away, though without making a noise. Vex watched the knight leave before diving back into his tent and bedroll.

Vex counted the Aureus, the currency from back home, given to soldiers who have either served for fifteen years or who have done a great service to the Abandoned. He smirked at the total of thirteen Aureus, their golden faces staring at him. Vex opened his journal and placed the coins within one of the pages, then flopped onto his back. With no freezing cold, he could finally get some rest. Then another explosion, more laughter and another sigh from the Auxiliary.

 **Jeez, I've said filler on most of my other chapters, but this takes the fucking cake. I mean, honestly, this is pretty bad in my own twisted opinion. Too... peaceful. Anyway, you got some lore on the Radioman, a look at two new soldiers and the general atmosphere in the camp. The next chapter will return to team BRAS and the Doctor, starting back from when they took off from the last chapter. Till then, you get a free copy of the Waiting Game. Enjoy.**


	8. Team BRAS: Game's Over

**Trying to get back into my old writing style, though it's incomplete without fights. Expect the flow to change a bit.**

Doctor Oobleck led the team with quick but short bursts of speed, allowing them to keep within sight. He waited another minute for the four members of team BRAS to come into view before dashing a few metres away, spotting the Bullhead just ahead.

"Come on boys, it's just up ahead." Oobleck once again said at mach three, team BRAS saw the wreck and speed towards it, all while looking around for any sign of the deranged soldier. They reached the downed airship and waited for the Doctor to give instructions. "Alright, we are looking for any technology that looks like a scanner, or something similar." Oobleck said and Sam snorted.

"Anything left inside this hunk o' junk will be useless, but if it helps then I guess we can do it." Sam said casually and Bill glared at him.

"I guess? I wasn't aware you were the leader, Sam." Bill said and Sam chuckled.

"No, I ain't no leader but neither are you. Doctor Oobleck is in charge." Sam said with a smug tone, Bill grunted in annoyance. The Doctor coughed and the team quickly entered the Bullhead through a dented but open door, the smell hit hard.

"Argh, disgusting." Bill coughed and gagged, the smell of decomposing corpses was foreign to him. Alex and Sam started to move the corpses around, checking pockets and the loading bay area for anything that looked active. Raiko took the cockpit and Bill heard the sounds of rustling from within, he decided to go and join the banner-bearer. When Bill stepped inside the cramped cockpit he saw Raiko fiddling with the console on the controls. "What are you looking for?" Bill asked out of curiosity, Raiko looked at them then back to the console.

 **"Working electricals, like the Doctor asked."** Raiko signed over his shoulder and Bill glared at his back. **"Glaring** **?"**

"Shut up, Raiko." Bill snapped.

 **"Make me, the person who is trying to help their team, whose leader is being a child."** Raiko signed and stood up, holding something in his free hand. He passed Bill and walked out of the Bullhead, Bill scoffed and followed after.

"What's this you've found? Hmm, looks like a tracker!" The Doctor exclaimed as Bill walked out of the wreck, he noticed Alex and Sam already standing near Raiko, who once again held his banner high. "From the looks of this, our friend is in the centre of the town... he's the only one alive." Doctor Oobleck stated sadly, then took a sip of his thermos, which seemed like Ozpin's mug in the sense of unlimited liquid. "We better move, we're burning daylight."

Team BRAS took off after the blur that was Oobleck, weapons at the ready. They lost sight of the Doctor, but continued onwards without pausing.

"SURPRISE FUCKERS!" A voice roared and the team was pelted by gunfire, Bill saw the deranged soldier on a high story building and swung Brand across his body, his cloak sweeping along his arm. The ring slammed into the stone beneath the man's feet, causing him to hold fire and cough. Suddenly a blur of green flew past the windows, going up each level with frightening speed. The Atlas soldier took aim again and was about to fire, but he felt a massive force hit his head. The soldier stumbled forwards and started to drop.

"I GOT HIM!" Sam barked and leapt into the air, catching the man. He landed with a loud thud and looked at his package, the man's face was scarred and dirty. His hair was brown, cut short and screamed military. Sam gently placed the soldier on the ground, placing Blitz Fang on his back. "Damn, that was easy." He muttered and felt a hand land on his shoulder, it was Raiko.

 **"You okay?"** He asked and Sam nodded, still not removing his gaze from the soldier.

"Yeah, just thinking about-" Sam was interrupted by Doctor Oobleck appearing next to the unconscious soldier.

"Great catch! I'll call the Bullhead in, this is an academy record! Fastest time yet for a mission!" Oobleck stated happily with a grin, Bill laughed and Alex chuckled but Sam didn't. Alex noticed and stood next to him.

"Something wrong?" He asked quietly, watching the Doctor pull out his scroll and begin to rapidly fie directions at the poor pilot.

"This man, he seems familiar somehow." Sam muttered, looking at Alex. "I want to keep an eye on him."

"Hmm, now that you mention it he does look a bit familiar." Alex hummed and knelt down, examining the soldier's face. "Yeah, just can't place it."

"Can you two stop being creepy and get away from the unconscious crazy man?" Bill said with a smug tone, Raiko quickly whacked him over the head with his banner. The Doctor put away his scroll and zipped over to the boys, no longer smiling.

"It appears that a Bullhead won't be available until tomorrow morning, I hope you brought your sleeping bags." Doctor Oobleck said and the team looked between each other, then back to the Doctor. "I'm taking that as a no?" He asked and the boys nodded in sync.

"Doesn't matter, we can sleep just about anywhere. Rock and stone aren't a problem." Bill said and his teammates agreed with nods and grunts. The Doctor looked at them for a moment then shrugged, then the soldier woke up. The group heard a moan of pain and glanced down at the dirty soldier, who rubbed his face and blinked. The soldier glanced around the group, completely silent.

"Easy now, easy." Sam said softly and slowly knelt down, the soldier flinched and started to breathe heavily. Sam stopped moving and turned to the group. "Step back a bit, give him some breathing room." They quickly obeyed, except Raiko who joined Sam.

 **"Think that this will calm him down?"** Raiko signed to Sam, moving his banner. Sam shook his head.

"No, he's too panicked." Sam said as the soldier glanced between the two, his eyes bloodshot and wild.

"Y-you gonna fucking k-kill me?!" He grunted with a gravelly voice, both Raiko and Sam shook their heads.

"We're here to bring you home, we're here to help." Sam said with a soothing voice, trying to calm the man down. "Can you tell me your name, soldier?"

"Corporal Mitchell Walker." The man said, still on edge around the pair. "I don't fucking believe you." He snapped and pointed at Raiko. "You and your buddies killed my friends! You fuckers think, just cause you're being nice, I'll go with you?" Walker sneered and Sam looked at Raiko.

"This isn't gonna work, do it." Raiko nodded and swung his banner at the soldier's head, knocking him out again. "Looks like he'll need medical help for a while, it's a shame." Sam murmured and stood up, looking at Oobleck. The Doctor was frowning, causing Alex to slowly reach for his greatsword.

"I was hoping we wouldn't have to do that, but it doesn't matter now." Doctor Oobleck stated, Alex narrowed his eyes from behind his visor. "We should find a building to sleep in. Actually no, too dangerous. We sleep outside!" The Doctor declared and pointed at Alex, who had released his sword. "Alex! You will find us shelter!"

"Alright, sir." Alex grunted and walked off, Doctor Oobleck then pointed at Bill.

"Bill! You will search the area for anything the is remotely hostile!" The boy looked around from where he was then pointed at the unconscious soldier.

"Threat found." He stated and Raiko smacked his head. "Ow, fine." He mumbled and unsheathed his swords, wandering away in a random direction. Oobleck pointed at both Raiko and Sam, taking a sip with the thermos in his other hand.

"You two will move our friend, carefully." Sam nodded and Raiko shrugged, placing his banner on his back and reaching for the Corporal's feet, Sam held up a hand though.

"We should tie him up first, can't risk him spazzing out in our hands." Sam said and Raiko paused.

 **"You got rope?"** Raiko signed and Sam flicked his visor open.

"Nope, I thought you had some." Raiko tilted his head.

 **"Why would I have rope?"**

"I dunno, maybe you were into something... different." Raiko slapped his visor up and glared at Sam, who put his hands up. "It was a guess!"

 **"Yeah, but I'm really guessing if you'll end up with a black eye or not."** Raiko signed and pulled his visor down, grabbing the soldier and throwing him over his shoulder. Alex popped his head around the corner of a building, catching Oobleck's attention.

"Found a small place over here, Doctor!" He yelled and Oobleck dashed over to him, startling him.

"Fine work, Alex. This will do nicely." Doctor Oobleck said and patted his shoulder before zipping over to Raiko and Sam. "Come along now, it's just around the corner." Oobleck stated and zipped into the middle of the street, right in front of Bill.

"Gah!" He grunted and raised Thorn to thrust, but quickly dropped his swords to a lowered stance. "Apologies, Doctor Oobleck." Bill said, the Doctor ignored the apology and started to spit out words.

"Is the perimeter secured, Bill?" The question was answered immediately.

"Yes sir, no hostiles." Bill stated and Oobleck nodded.

"Did you check the entire area?" Doctor Oobleck asked and Bill went quiet, the Doctor leaned closer to Bill and staring into the two eyeholes in his faceplate. "I'd do it now, before your teacher decides to give you a few weeks of-"

"Yes sir, right away sir!" Bill quickly said and ran away, Oobleck chuckled and dashed over to the spacious alleyway that was their campsite. There he found Raiko placing Corporal Walker against a wall, Sam crouching next to them and Alex watching over the pair. Though he was the first to turn and raise his shield when Oobleck appeared, causing the Doctor to raise an eyebrow.

"You have fast reflexes, Alex." Oobleck noted and the boy grunted, lowering his shielded arm.

"Aren't huntsmen meant to be ready for anything?" He asked and the Doctor nodded, taking yet another sip of his thermos and continuing the torment of his insides.

"Yes, but it's usually for Grimm. Not other people." Oobleck said and zipped over to their little 'friend'. "How is our frie-"

"Walker."

"Hmm?" Oobleck asked in confusion, not expecting Sam to interrupt.

"His name is Walker, like the mission board and he said." Sam stated and turned his head slightly. "Remember?"

The Doctor frowned at the boy, who returned to examining the wounds on the Corp- Walker, Walker's body. Sam seemed to know this man, or at the very least had an extreme interest in him. Oobleck slowly nodded.

"How is Walker doing?" He tried again and Sam sighed, his visor still up.

"Not well. To list off the problems, he's mentally unstable, hates us with burning passion and is very very angry." Sam said with fake joy and rubbed his face. "Everything that isn't helping, basically."

"Do not give up hope yet, Sam." Oobleck said and took another sip from his thermos. "Even us huntsmen aren't loved by all, but we still help those in need. No matter what." The Doctor's words caused Sam to turn completely and stare at him, surprised.

"Is that so?" Sam muttered and looked at the Doctor, then sat cross legged and pulled out a knife and a half finished carving. The Doctor watched with fascination as Sam started to carve, since most huntsmen didn't know many other skills besides combat. Alex grunted and twirled his greatsword around and stabbed it into the stone ground, then sat down too.

"I expected this mission to be longer." He said and Sam hummed in agreement.

"Eh, it must've been the will of the author to move back to Beacon." Sam stated, Alex tilted his head and looked at Sam.

"What?" Alex asked

"What?" Sam asked in return, Alex shook his head and took his helmet off.

"What number is that?" Alex asked as he watched Sam carve.

"Hmm, ninth." Sam answered, then thought for a moment. "Tenth."

"Already losing count?" Alex asked with a smirk and Sam scoffed.

"Shut up, Alex. I doubt even you could count how many I have scattered back home." Sam said and Alex grunted.

"Enough for two per everyone there." Sam blinked and raised an eyebrow.

"Only two?" Alex sighed and shook his head. Bill walked into their little camp and sat down against the closest wall, taking his helmet off and placing it on his knee.

"Area is clear, sir." Bill stated and Oobleck grinned, causing Raiko to glance over then return to the Corporal.

"Good, good." Doctor Oobleck said and checked his watch. "Looks like it's about time for night shifts, anyone want to volunteer?" Oobleck's question caused Bill and Sam to quietly groan and Alex to rub his face, only Raiko raised his hand. The Doctor looked at the three other boys with a frown, then smiled at Raiko. "Good work, Raiko! A huntsman should always be willing to help." Raiko merely nodded and stood up, grabbed his banner and walked down the alleyway.

"I'll take next watch." Alex grunted and closed his eyes, sleeping against the wall. Sam waved his hand for third watch and took a look at Walker before lying down.

"Guess I'll take the last watch." Bill said and fell asleep against the wall, knees up and close to his body. The boy also wrapped his cloak around his legs, though Oobleck didn't see his hands move. The Doctor decided to get some rest too, though he pulled a sleeping roll from his back and got comfy.

* * *

Oobleck awoke to the sounds of a struggle, he bolted upright and saw that team BRAS were all up. Bill and Alex were holding down the now conscious Walker while Sam was sitting next to him and talking, Raiko remained in the alleyway staring in. The Doctor noticed it was still dark, though couldn't tell where the lighting that lit the space came from.

"Calm down, Walker!" Sam barked as the soldier struggled against the two other boys.

"You can't fucking lie to me!" Walker cried and snarled at Bill. "You won't kill me!" Walker managed to free an arm and hit Alex, doing little to free himself further.

"Damnit, just knock him out again!" Bill snapped and Raiko moved closer, but Sam put a hand up.

"We can't, his head will never be right if we do." Sam said and noticed the Doctor staring at them. "Sir, you're a doctor right? Then help us!" Sam said harshly and Oobleck flinched, he zipped over and looked into the eyes of the struggling man, he saw the fear within them and it scared him.

"Let him go." He said and Bill looked at him over his shoulder.

"Are you ins-"

"Do it, goddamnit." Sam snapped and Bill stared at the boy, then released Walker's arm. Alex did the same and pulled Bill back as the soldier scrambled to his feet, his eyes locked on the Doctor.

"Walker, we want to help." Oobleck said slowly and softly, the man stared at him with narrow eyes.

"I don't be-" Walker started but Oobleck interrupted him.

"We are huntsmen, it is our duty to help any and everybody in need. We want to help, but so far you have made it very difficult to do so." The Doctor stated quickly, taking a sip of his thermos afterwards. The Corporal glanced between the group, looking at all their faces. Sam wore a worried expression, which confused Walker but even more when Sam smiled. Alex wore a slight frown and had his arms crossed, clearly in view and away from his weapons. Bill had a straight face, revealing no emotion. Walker looked around Sam to Raiko, who had his visor up with a smile.

"I-I'm sorry, but it's just..." Walker sounded a bit tired now, with doubt in his voice. "I saw my men, my friends, dead. I saw those knights and just... snapped." He finished and slowly slid down the wall, causing Oobleck to step closer and kneel in front of him.

"Walker, tomorrow we're going to Beacon. We're going to get you help, for your injuries." The last part was added quickly when the soldier started to scowl. "But first-" The Doctor suddenly leaned into the man's ear and started whispering, the other teens looked at each other in confusion. Doctor Oobleck stood and turned on his heel, looking at the team. "Now that that's sorted, I think it's time for Alex's watch."

"Roger." Alex grunted and walked past Raiko, who entered the space and sat in Alex's spot. The team quietly returned to sleep, even Walker did too. Only Oobleck remained awake, thinking about the chat that him, Walker and Ozpin are going to have when they get back to Beacon.

* * *

Team BRAS waited outside the ruined town with their eyes peeled, watching for the Bullhead. Doctor Oobleck stood next to Walker, who was sparing glances at the boys. Sam yawned and pulled his scroll out, turning on a familiar radio station.

"Good morning Remnant, you are listening to 37.0 with your host, me!" The Radioman laughed. "We have a special announcement for this morning, the Vytal Festival is only a couple of days away! For the people of Vale this means a whole lotta guests, for the huntsmen and huntresses this means the Vytal Festival Tournament!" The Radioman sounded excited, almost as if he was overreacting. "So train hard, and fight harder. My money's on a certain team of gentlemen, if they are listening to this, you better put on a show. Unfortunately we have some bad news, Grimm have been slowly trickling into Mount Glenn. To anybody in the area, be careful and stay vigilant."

"Looks like we might have some company." Bill stated, then Sam pointed up.

"Not today, the Bullhead is here." Sam said and Bill sighed.

"I wanted to fight something." He grumbled as the Bullhead descended and the doors opened, revealing a medic. The group jogged over and the woman met them halfway, grabbing Walker and bombarding him with questions and examining his injuries. The four teens hopped onto the airship and waited for the three adults to come, which took a while since the medic was hounding both Walker and Oobleck.

After another minute the last three hopped onto the Bullhead, the doors closed and they quickly took to the air and flew directly to Beacon, all the while listening to the music segment of the Radioman.

When the Bullhead landed, the medic pushed past the team and dragged Walker away. Sam gave a wave and the man waved back, just as he disappeared into the school. Bill stretched and walked out, turning to look at his team.

"Let's hit the showers, lads, you lot smell horrible." Bill said with an unseen grin, Sam scoffed and took his helmet off.

"You must be smelling yourself, Bill, you reek!" Sam sneered and Alex slapped the back of his head.

"We get it, we all smell in one way or another." Alex grunted and walked past the pair. "I just wanna get out of this gear." Raiko followed after Alex, resting his banner on his shoulder. Bill muttered to himself and jogged after them, Sam following behind. Doctor Oobleck watching the team disappear into the school, thinking about their future.

 **First up, an apology for the short 'arc' on Mount Glenn. Personally, I wanted to get back into a familiar setting and decided to shorten the story a bit (a lot). Anyways, the next few chapters are either going to be about the Auxiliaries entirely or about BRAS with a pinch of Auxiliary. That's about it, see you next time. Cheers.**


	9. Team BRAS: Encounters of the CFVY Kind

**Huh, just found a little handy dandy document about naming characters in RWBY... after colours. Quick an excuse! Since the boys and Abandoned come from another kingdom separate from the whole, they are exempt from the rule. Honestly I completely forgot about the rule, so I just started naming characters willie nillie. Anyway enough excuses, enjoy this chapter.**

Team BRAS were in the showers, which were completely empty. Since they were the first team to come back, barely any first year students were around, only higher years. Bill walked into the locker room first and started to change back into his uniform, throwing his shirt on first to cover his gunshot wound. His thoughts drifted as he pulled on the rest of his uniform, mostly of the mission yesterday. He thought about what the Radioman had said, about if the White Fang attacked. Who was it he was referring to? Ghosts of the past could be anyone, or thing. His thoughts were interrupted by Raiko walking out of the showers, Bill glanced sideways at the boy. His eyes were drawn to the scars and burns that covered his upper body, especially around his ribs.

Bill sighed to himself and buttoned up his shirt before passing Raiko and walking out of the changing rooms, off to find something to do. Raiko didn't miss the look that Bill gave to his scars, but it didn't matter to him. They were reminders, if not rewards in some twisted way, of his power. Raiko got changed quickly and left the changing rooms, heading straight to the Music Hall. When he walked through the doors, he immediately hopped onto the piano stool and leaned his banner against the wall. He cracked his knuckles once before raising his hands above the keys.

He started slow then began to pick up pace as he played, repeating the change of pace many times. Raiko was once again enthralled by his music that he didn't hear the door open, or the person walk in. His body moved with the music, flowing back and forth in almost a trance. Finally he stopped playing and heard clapping, he turned and smiled widely.

"Velvet." He greeted and stood up, catching the girl as she jumped at him with the intent to hug. The faunus giggled with a blush when Raiko's eyes cleared to their intense purple colour.

"You're back early." She stated when they released each other, Raiko frowned then smiled.

"And you didn't stutter." The girl blushed and pouted, Raiko chuckled.

"S-shut up." She murmured and Raiko petted her head, once again her leg started thumping. Raiko smiled warmly as Velvet fought his hand away with a massive blush. "How did your mission go?"

"Surprisingly fast, though it was a pain. The person we were trying to rescue ran away from us, shot at us and yelled as us, wasn't exactly fun but thanks to Doctor Oobleck he came quietly." Raiko said and Velvet hummed, awkward silence reigned for a few seconds.

"So... um... I was wondering..." Velvet said shyly, Raiko simply smiled and waited patiently. "Why do you... have those scars on your throat?" Raiko's smile faded slightly, Velvet's ears drooped. "I'm sorry, I should never-"

"No, it's alright, Velvet." Raiko said gently, his hand landing on the smaller girl's shoulder. "My Semblance is very... unique, as most are. It is as much a curse as it is a blessing, giving pain for safety, it's a small price to pay." Raiko explained, gesturing to his scarred throat. "I got this... actually, now that I think about it I can't remember. Anyway, it was when I had to scare a horde of Grimm away from a village." Velvet looked confused.

"I thought Grimm don't fear anything?" Raiko hummed at her question.

"Even the soulless can be frightened, besides it even startled me a bit." Raiko chuckled. "Afterwards, a few villagers came to me to thank and give me gifts. When I spoke, or tried, it was a mere whisper of the wind, and blood." Raiko finished, than caught Velvet's forming question. "Aura helped the healing process, I just got into the habbit of staying quiet."

"Your Semblance sounds powerful." Velvet stated, Raiko shrugged then frowned.

"What about yours?" Raiko asked and Velvet blinked.

"Oh! I mimic other people's moves, not Semblances though." Velvet said and Raiko's eyebrows rose.

"You say mine's powerful, if you could copy one of my teammates' moves you'd smash us." Raiko said in slight awe, Velvet just blushed. Elsewhere in the school, Sam clashed against drones in a training room. The bots were humanoid in shape, with barely any features on them except for a few glowing red details.

"This is too easy." Sam said to himself as he twisted on his heel and smashed Blitz Fang against the head of a drone, sending it flying across the arena. The teen was in a tank top and his armoured leggings, exposing his arms to any attacks that wouldn't come. Sam slammed his halberd through another drone and lifted it up into the air, before spinning and launching it at another. Finally after only three minutes he stood up and lowered his halberd, ignoring the three drones charging at him. "Halt!" He barked and the drones froze in place, then flickered before vanishing.

Sam sighed and wandered over to the console that controlled the drones and their appearance and aggression, but he stopped when a shadow seemed to move. Sam turned and stared at the point, after a moment of silence he continued on his way.

"I suppose you want to use the training room?" Sam asked sarcastically, a grunt was his answer.

"Not many can see somebody in the shadows." A voice commented as the shadowy watcher moved into view, Sam chuckled as he fiddled with the console.

"It's easier when they move within them." Sam stated and looked over his shoulder at the boy, who appeared blind. Sam realised this was the guy that Raiko was talking about, the guy who knew about their home. "What's your name, mate?" Sam asked with a smile.

"Fox, Fox Alistair." Fox answered and stood a few feet away from Sam, crossing his tanned arms.

"Sam, nice to meet you." Sam said and turned around. "You want to use the room?" He asked again and Fox shook his head.

"I prefer a more... human opponent." Fox said with a smirk, Sam laughed.

"Finally, I was getting sick of mindless robots. We going next door?" Sam asked but Fox shook his head, it was then that Sam noticed two large claws on the other boy's arms that ran up them in two spiked points.

"Here will do." Fox said casually and raised his fists, Sam turned and pressed a button on the console. A holographic board appeared on the wall next to them, showing their Aura levels. Sam turned and swung Blitz Fang in front of him, bowing when the long shaft hit his back. Fox narrowed his clouded eyes then went to bow, suddenly Sam stepped forwards and twisted his body and halberd. Fox ducked under the bolt and stared at Sam with a raised eyebrow, the boy just shrugged.

"Winning by any means, mate." Sam laughed and Fox charged, his fists raised to block anymore bolts of lightning. Sam crouched then leapt forwards, thrusting his halberd at the blind boy's arms. Fox slid back by the force of the blow, but dodged the next thrust from Sam and dashed forwards. Fox's fists shot out at blinding speed, hitting Sam's ribs and chest. Sam grunted and reared back before kicking out, sending Fox stumbling. Sam swung Blitz Fang again but Fox once again dodged it, only to be shoulder barged and backhanded.

"Come on, you gotta try harder than that!" Sam sneered and marched towards Fox, who shook his head. Fox charged at Sam, ducking under a wide swing from Blitz Fang, then leaned around the sudden uppercut. Fox hit him twice in the gut, Sam grunted and hunched before lashing out with an open hand. Fox was grabbed by the face and pulled close to Sam, who smirked in the blind boy's face before lifting him up and slamming Fox down onto the floor. Sam stepped back and watched with a grin as Fox rose, acknowledging the low Aura bell.

"You fight well." Fox said and Sam snorted.

"That was just practice, no doubt for you as well." Sam said with a knowing grin, Fox merely raised an eyebrow. "You wanted to see my strength for the tournament, right?" Fox nodded and Sam laughed.

"I wanted to have a chat, but curiosity got the better of me." Fox admitted and grinned. "Anyway, how is Regnum Aes these days?" Sam shrugged.

"Pretty good. The districts are peaceful, the air is clear and there ain't a Grimm in sight." Sam answered casually, Fox nodded a few times.

"How are the people doing, back home?" Fox then asked with a slightly hopeful look and Sam gave him a smile, one not of humour or friendliness.

"Classified, mate. I should be going, see you around Fox." Sam said and wandered into the changing rooms, leaving the former resident of Regnum Aes alone. Elsewhere outside the school, Alex stood on the cliff of Beacon and stared out at the forest that lay far below him. His mind was at peace, more so than usual. Nearby, near the edge of the cliff, was a large boy in Beacon colours. He was sitting on his knees with a cup of tea, Alex merely ignored his presence and let his thoughts drift.

Alex sighed in relief as he stood by the cliff, the only quiet place to properly think. He sat down cross legged and decided to glance over to the other teen, locking eyes with the boy. Alex immediately noticed the narrow eyes and the calming Aura that this seemingly gentle giant gave off, he nodded and the other boy returned it with a friendly smile.

"Good day, isn't it?" The boy asked with a deep but gentle voice and Alex nodded.

"It is indeed, you come out here often?" Alex asked as he returned the smile.

"Yes, occasionally. My name is Yatsuhashi, but most people call me Yats." Yats said with a chuckle, Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Alex, good to meet another person who appreciates peace." Alex said. "I assume you meditate, Yatsuhashi?" Alex asked as he observed the tall boy's calm face and Aura.

"Yes I do, I have been doing so for a long time." Yats answered and took a gentle sip from his tea, then paused. "Would you like some tea, Alex?" Yats asked but Alex waved away the offer.

"No thanks, I've never liked the taste." Alex stated and Yatsuhashi frowned slightly.

"You seem to be troubled." Yats observed and Alex shrugged.

"Just a lot on my mind." Alex grunted and Yats hummed.

"Understandable, many things can cloud one's mind." Yats said sagely. "Meditation usually helps."

"Mmm, yes. Unfortunately I never have time to meditate, nor have I tried." Alex said and ran his hand through his hair. "Too busy these days." Yatsuhashi looked back out over the forest.

"Seems we'll all be more busy in the next week, preparation for the tournament is going to be on everyone's minds." Yats commented and Alex nodded.

"Though it'll be for nothing if you cannot be at peace with your mind." Sam stated and Yats raised an eyebrow.

"Very inspiring words, Alex." Yats said with a grin, Alex merely grunted.

"Just simple words from a simple man, you could say." Alex said with a chuckle, Yatsuhashi joined him with his own deep laughter.

"You seem to be full of surprises. At first I thought you to be a stoic, showing little emotion and saying next to nothing. But you seem a bit like me." Yats commented and Alex shrugged.

"Maybe I'm just putting up a facade to blend in?" He asked and Yats chuckled again, shaking his head.

"Maybe, maybe." Yatsuhasi murmured, starting another conversation with Alex. But elsewhere, in a darkened room, the leader of BRAS slammed his hand against a table. His chat not so calm as Alex's.

"The hell do you want, Cinder?" Bill snapped at the smirking witch.

"Oh Bill, can't a gal just-"

"Enough, witch! Explain now!" Bill barked and Cinder glared at the boy, her eyes igniting like fire.

"You dare speak against me?" She asked and Bill snorted as he crossed his arms.

"We both rank the same on the council, Cinder, your threats mean nothing." Bill stated and Cinder walked up to him, scowling.

"Oh but that's where you're wrong, Bill. We are much further apart than you realise." Cinder hissed and Bill grunted in response. "I called you here to talk about your little army, or should I say Raiko's?" Cinder asked slyly and Bill snarled in anger, but said nothing. "They are amassing in bulk, so far we have little reason to trust that they'll follow the plan. First the attack on the Dust train, then the attack only a few nights ago, our Mistress is growing displeased."

"It's out of my control to order the entire force, I only have command of my platoon and nothing more." Bill interrupted and Cinder laughed coldly, placing her hand on Bill's shoulder and resting her chin next to his ear.

"I don't think our Mistress wants excuses, does she Bill?" Cinder asked and Bill jerked away, his green eyes locked on her flaming ones.

"I still have no control over the Abandoned, that isn't an excuse that's a fact." Bill said and Cinder sighed.

"Bill, listen, I know you want to help your home, but the only way to do that is to help us." Cinder said in a kinder voice, catching Bill off guard. "You said, "Please, give me the power to make the world remember us," remember?" Cinder asked and Bill looked away.

"I just don't know how..." Bill trailed off, then clenched his fists. "I can promise you that the Abandoned will do their duty, I know they will. I am willing to bet my life on it." Cinder raised an eyebrow at this statement.

"So much trust in your little army, Bill? After all they've done?" Cinder asked with actual surprise, Bill merely nodded.

"Even after all that, I know many of the Captains and Commanders want revenge after the treachery." Bill answered and Cinder smiled at him, though once again is was false.

"Good, I will tell our Mistress. Though you should check your attitude when you speak to me, Bill" Cinder said sweetly and Bill scoffed.

"Go fuck yourself." He stated with a massive grin, Cinder wasn't amused. "I've got some training to do, if you'll excuse me." Bill turned and walked away, opening the dorm room door and shutting it as he left. Leaving a smirking Cinder, whose eyes once again burned with glee.

Ozpin sat in his office, the masterpiece of cogs, gears and clockwork. His mug was full, like always, and his attention was on the report from the previously missing soldier. The man was still in the infirmary, getting his burns and injuries treated, though he did have the time to write said report on Ozpin's desk. His eyes scanned over the paper and his emotions churned. After Professor Oobleck gave his own report, Ozpin knew that team BRAS were to be watched, but now?

"It's becoming a hassle." Ozpin answered himself, taking a break to both take a sip of coffee and think over this new information. So far these soldiers, who wear brass armour and wield brass weapons, have shown to be extremely aggressive. Although by Oobleck's full story, he ignored the warnings that they gave, stubbornly following Ozpin's orders. He sighed and thought about how many people have been hurt or worse, by following his orders.

Ozpin looked over the picture of the White Fang lookalike, but mostly at the soldier's mask. The memories of ancient conflicts and clashes filled his mind, causing him to close his eyes and sigh again. Then he sat up and checked his camera system, which only observed the halls, certain rooms and the gardens and cafeteria. Ozpin shivered at the last time Glynda found one a bit too close to a dorm, he could still feel the sting.

"Well hello." Ozpin said with a raised eyebrow, his eyes on a camera in the Music Room. Standing quite close to one another, was Velvet Scarlatina and Raiko, whose eyes were no longer cloudy. The amethyst like colour baffled the Headmaster for a moment, then frightened him. "The Link." He whispered, remembering both the tales and reports of the head of the Banished.

From memory, the Link was said to be a person from a strict bloodline that held the entire might of the Banished in their hands. They lead their armies with a fury that could not be stopped, although from the looks of things this Link wasn't on a warpath. What Ozpin feared the most from the Links was their power to-

"Ozpin, General Ironwood is here to collect Corporal Walker." Glynda's voice from the receiver on his desk startled him, he regained his composure before Glynda spoke again. "He has also requested to see you, sir."

"Very well, send him up." Ozpin said in response and sat back, taking a large sip of his coffee. Now he had something else to distract him.

 **Once again it takes half a year to get a chapter out, I ain't proud of that or the fact that this chapter is shorter than the rest. But honestly I'm stumped for anything else to add, so I'm flipping over to a pair of eccentrics and I'm sure it'll be better. Now I'm self conscious about how many times I've apologied, bugger.**


	10. Team AUXILIARY: Double the Madness

**Well well, two eccentrics? What could go wrong? A lot, for the White Fang. So enjoy two madmen going around attacking White Fang grunts and their other allies, basically this chapter is a bit of a loose cannon. Might do another one like this latter, who knows.**

Two days and Conor was extremely bored, that meant hell for his platoon. So far the Auxiliary had not only managed to collapse a tent, with people inside playing cards, but he had gotten himself kicked out of his camp for the day. He laughed to himself when the image of the Captain's horrified face flew into his mind, but at least he gave the Auxiliary something to do. He shook his head and wandered into the Pathfinder's part of the camp. He was looking for another Auxiliary, who had a thing for knives. Conor passed a few Legionnaires and Auxiliaries, most either lounging around or listening to the Radioman, which was understandable because of the week long wait for the excitement. He noticed a collection of soldiers standing around a table with flasks and other appliances, pouring something in one of the flasks.

"Mix a couple cups of that gasoline in, then throw another cup of oil... that should do it." Conor stopped and watched a Pathfinder mixing fuel for his flamethrower, though from the constant glances from the other Pathfinders it wasn't the standard mix. The soldier gently poured the black mixture into a small tank connected to a flamethrower, the soldier picked up the weapon and aimed it at a large metal box in an open space. "And with the pull of the trigger, I make the box disa-" Immediately the fuel tank exploded and send the man flying, Conor laughed as the other soldiers tossed water onto the flailing man.

"Bloody maniacs." Conor chuckled to himself as he continued on his way. His walk through the camp wasn't acknowledged by any of the soldiers, merely because he looked like any other without his massive hammer. Conor soon found his friend, who was once again flicking a knife into the air and catching it. "Sup Felix." Conor greeted and the Auxiliary looked up, smiling widely.

Felix Point, resident butcher of the Pathfinders and self entitled womaniser. His faunus traits were of a shark, long sharp teeth with a killer smirk, a statement that could be taken quite literally. His attire was simple, just the standard mimicry of the White Fang uniform with a black biker jacket over the top. Felix wasn't wearing his mask at the moment, fully revealing his black eyes that shone with happiness.

"Hello, Conor." Felix said with a cheerful tone, he flipped the knife over his shoulder and sat up. "Finally someone who isn't completely insane, or obsessed with fire." Felix laughed loudly at the statement, which was more than false. Conor joined in the laughter.

"It's too fucking boring around here, man." Conor stated and grinned. "Now, I got a pretty stupid plan but I guarantee that it's a good one." Felix looked surprised.

"You, thinking of a plan?" Felix placed both hands on his cheeks in exaggerated surprise. "Well out with it." He said and Conor grinned.

"Lets head into Vale." Conor said casually and Felix blinked, then raised an eyebrow.

"What are you planning to do there?" He asked and Conor slapped a hand onto his shoulder.

"Just general fuckery, the normal stuff." Conor answered and Felix grinned.

"Why not?" Felix asked sarcastically, but paused. "How are we gonna get past the sentries?" He asked and Conor blinked, though it wasn't exactly seen from behind a mask, then frowned.

"Well, honestly I didn't think of that. I'm sure I'll figure something out." Conor then turned and walked away, Felix following with a smirk. As they walked through the camp, they didn't notice another Auxiliary following from behind. Soon the pair of Auxiliaries reached the outer camp, which was patrolled by a collection of soldiers from every platoon. One of which was a familiar Legionnaire, who noticed them immediately.

"Oi, what are you two doing out here?" Devrok asked and Conor shrugged.

"Got bored." Conor answered and started to walk past the soldier, Felix still following after.

"Fine, just don't bring back the entire police force." Devrok grunted and waved, then returned to his post. Conor looked over his shoulder at Felix with a grin.

"He knows not to stop me when I'm bored, besides I actually got a mission for us." Conor explained and his friend merely nodded, not really needing an explanation yet. It took an hour or so, but they made it to Vale before midday. It was bustling with life, with the Vytal Festival and Tournament around the corner the city was in the process of preparing for the events. Though before they could truly enter the city, Felix pulled Conor back into an alleyway.

"You're still wearing your mask." Felix stated and Conor facepalmed, quickly pulling his mask off. Conor's eyes were finally shown to be a vibrant golden colour, a common colour from his home. Then the heavy weapons soldier pulled his shoulder pads off then his shirt, before putting his brass pads on again. The action caused Felix to raise an eyebrow.

"I don't fucking know, I wanna be anonymous, I'll just say I'm from some Vacuo or something." Conor said with a shrug and walked out into the large city, a grin on his face. "First order of business, a drink, then business." He stated then giggled to himself and pointed at a nearby bar, before walking towards it. Felix could already see the destruction that his friend was thinking about, it was pretty tame for Conor. Felix noticed a Bullhead fly overhead and towards Beacon, but shrugged and jogged towards the bar.

Felix pushed open the door and spotted Conor standing at the bar, a bear already in hand. He took the time to admire the building's interior, before it would no doubt be torn down. The theme seemed to be about plants, strange. Felix decided to ignore the decor and hopped over to the bar, giving a toothy grin to the barmaid. The woman's cheeks were faintly red, but besides that she seemed fine.

"Hello, what can I get you?" She asked and Felix hummed to himself, then glanced over at Conor.

"What'd you get?" The wolf faunus shrugged.

"Just a beer, make up your mind." Conor said in his usual casual tone and Felix chuckled, then turned back to the barmaid, whose eyes were glazing over the exposed and chiseled chest of Conor. The weight of a ten tonne hammer being lugged around, and a few years of stone breaking, would do that to a man. Felix cleared his throat and the woman snapped her gaze to him, her blush intensified.

"I'll have a whiskey, please." He said with a smaller smile, much more warmer than the mass of teeth previously shown. The brown haired woman quickly pulled a bottle from under the bar and a glass, poured in the alcohol and pushed it in front of him within a few seconds. Felix whistled. "Nice moves." The barmaid smiled with a blush.

"It's nothing impressive, sir." She said and moved further down the bar to another customer, Felix turned to Conor.

"So, what's this mission about?" He asked and Conor downed his bottle, before slamming it back down and grinning.

"We have to fuck around with the White Fang, but the main objective is blow up their airships, everything else is optional." Conor stated in a hushed tone, Felix started to smirk. "But even better, we have free reign to do it any-goddamned-way we want." Felix's smile was now completely showing his teeth, pure joy ran through his veins.

"Christmas came early." He stated and Conor laughed.

"You fucking know it buddy." Felix fist pumped the air and finished his whiskey, throwing a few lien onto the bar, swiped from some passerby. The pair left the bar, though Felix bumped into another faunus and he apologised. Felix followed Conor as he lead the way, hopefully, to the White Fang hideout in Vale. It took another hour till they spotted a pair of faunus citizens suspiciously walking down an alleyway, the two Auxiliaries jogged to the alley and peered down. At the end was a White Fang grunt handing the pair masks, then opening a door behind him. Felix looked at Conor and Conor looked at Felix, both eccentrics had grins on their faces.

The White Fang grunt looked up at the sound for footsteps, he relaxed at the sight of these newcomers' faunus traits. The grunt smiled warmly and raised a hand in greeting, happy to assist these newcomers in joing the cause. Then the one with a massive, toothy grin pulled a large knife from his hip and charged.

"Wait-" The grunt could barely say before he was shoved against the wall and stabbed in the gut, Felix kept his smile as the grunt gasped and spat blood. The Auxiliary then threw the White Fang member onto the ground and looked at Conor, his face positively happy.

"Shall we let ourselves in?"

* * *

Roman Torchwick and his loyal sidekick Neo were both going over the power that the White Fang have, all scripted and spoken many times. He stood in front of a Atlesian Paladin, a large mech suit that still hadn't hit store shelves, lucky that they got one straight from the factory then. Torchwick smugly smiled around his cigar and gazed over the crowd of new initiates of the terrorist group, mostly at those who stared at him with disgust.

"To end this _friendly_ little chat off, I give you the mighty paladin! This machine was oh so kindly given to us by a few Atlas tools, for use against humanity." Roman said with heavily exaggerated joy, then his eye caught a pair of newcomers coming from the back. His sneer grew when he spotted blood on the grinning one, but he resumed his speech. "To those in this crowd who still don't trust my word, good, you should never trust me. But you can trust me when I say that this suit is the power you need to be respected!" His words were accompanied by a clenched fist, bingo. The crowd cheered and clapped, Roman looked at Neo and jerked his head to the side.

Roman and Neo started to walk towards a side door as another White Fang grunt spoke to the crowd about where to go for equipment and weapons, their movements ignored by the faunus crowd. But a large knife smalling into the wall next to Roman's face caused the room to go silent, then all eyes turned to the pair of muscled faunus, one of which stood with his arm outstretched.

"Gidday." The one with dog ears greeted loudly, a warm smile on his face. "Is this where the White Fang recruit?" He asked casually and the grunt on the platform with the paladin stuttered.

"Y-yes, do you wish-" The poor faunus was interrupted by Conor, who pointed at him.

"You in charge here?" He asked and the man nodded, then the other Auxiliary pulled another, curved knife from his belt and lobbed it at the grunt. The man screamed as he pulled at the knife in his neck, blood gushing out. The crowd were stunned, having never seen ordinary weapons pierce Aura. "So, who's second in command?" Conor asked cheerfully and the White Fang exchanged glances before looking in the direction of Roman and his ice cream themed second. The man swore to himself then smirked at the two Auxiliaries.

"I guess that's me, and you are?" He asked harshly and the grinning one got a look of mock surprise, placing both hands against his face.

"Ohhhhh, how rude of us, we forgot to introduce ourselves!" Felix said with a cheerful tone, unnerving those around him. "Better tell them, eh Conor?"

"We're the guys who the Radioman warned you about." Conor stated and pointed at Roman. "But right now, we're just two guys looking for a few Bullheads, so we'll just kill you lot and be on our way." He declared and smiled, slowly pulling a metal pipe up and slapping his hand against it. Roman lazily looked around at the White Fang dogs scattered around the room and coughed.

"Get them!" He snapped and the grunts charged, the crowd scattered and the Auxiliary laughed like maniacs. The fun was finally starting. The first two grunts who reached the pair met the end of Conor's lead pipe, cracking teeth and shattering Aura. Another who aimed at them with a rifle found a kukri in his chest, flicked from Felix's hand at lightning speed. Conor didn't bother to dodge the axe flying at him, he just let it hit his Aura and returned the favour with a swing of his pipe. Soon only the bodies of White Fang grunts, two mad Auxiliaries and a pair of terrorists remained.

"That was a fucking joke." Conor commented and Felix nodded, jerking one of his knives from the body of a grunt.

"These poor sods don't know anything about fighting, but I guarantee they do." Felix said and nodded at the coated man and small girl.

"Better find out, eh?" Conor grunted and grinned at the pair, Torchwick just smirked.

"Not today fellas, we gotta go tell our boss what you did. Neo?" The small pink and brown haired girl curtsied and smiled at the pair, who watched as the pair's forms shattered like glass. Felix turned to Conor and gave another toothy grin.

"Let's go find those Bullheads." He stated and Conor nodded, though stopped to think.

"Where even are they?" Felix sighed and pointed at the platform, which still had the paladin standing strong.

"That guy told us, or weren't you listening?" Conor shrugged and walked towards the large mech.

"I never fucking do, Felix." He stated and looked the mech up and down, before raising his club and bashing it a few times. The mech crumpled under his strength and Conor laughed loudly. "This thing is a piece of shit!" He declared and returned to Felix, who was crouched near a pair of grunts, holding their masks in his hands. He turned and tossed one at Conor, before slipping his mask on and smirking.

"Let's make some noise." He stated, chuckling quietly before growing in volume. Conor joined in and the pair roared with maddening laughter, then they fell silent and walked towards the side door that Roman was aiming for. The two Auxiliaries rushed through the back alleys and over buildings, moving towards the industrial part of Vale, or more accurately towards the White Fang hideout. Unfortunately for the White Fang, not only is their boss pissed with some other human woman but their only job was about to be put at risk.

* * *

Felix glanced around the corner of metal scrap he was crouched behind and grinned to himself, spotting a group of White Fang in the factory talking at a table in the corner. The plan Conor came up with was simple, at least in the way he explained it. Felix will make friends with a few grunts, target the power generator then get the fuck out, in Conors words of course. The wolf would find the Bullheads, destroy them and then release any Grimm he finds. Felix had agreed to the plan for two reasons, first he loved screwing with people and two he _really_ liked screwing with people.

"Hey, guys!" Felix greeted as he walked towards the group, who looked up and reached for weapons before relaxing.

"Gidday." The biggest one responded and watched at Felix approached without an inch of hesitation, he seemed like any other White Fang member. "I haven't seen you around before, where are you from?" He asked and Felix shrugged and pulled a chair from another nearby table and sat with the group of six.

"Vale, just got given this uniform a minute or so ago." He explained and the group smiled and congratulated him on joining the cause, but the big grunt wasn't exactly convinced.

"That jacket ain't standard issue, why are you wearing it?" He asked and Felix put his hands up and grinned.

"I just thought I needed to stick out, you know? Wearing the exact same thing as everyone is just... bland." Felix said and the group murmured in agreement. "Besides, I thought we all got the all clear from the Lieutenant?" That statement caught the group off guard.

"Really?" The grunt in Felix's left asked in surprise and the shark nodded with a grin.

"Yeah, just as I got the news, the Lieutenant said that I could keep my jacket." Felix lied and caused a slight stir of rebellion amongst the group, even the sceptical grunt was believing Felix. It's a shame that they would never eat the fruits of his lies, as something rocked the factory. The sudden explosion knocked the grunts off their chairs, except Felix who was only shaken a bit. The Auxiliary yawned and stood up, casually stretching his body in front of the stunned White Fang grunts. "Ah, well that was a nice chat. Unfortunately I got a job to do, later." He said and walked away, straight out the front door and stopped to admire the destruction that Conor had caused.

Burning wrecks, screaming faunus, rampaging Grimm and one very happy Conor. Felix breathed in deeply and released it with a sigh, then began his own job. He heard footsteps behind him and twisted around, jabbing a large kukri knife through the grunt's throat. As the man gurgled, Felix turned back and pulled a round grenade from his seemingly endless supply of throwable items and flicked the ring off. He lobbed the explosive over a fence and it rolled to a stop next to a pair of rusty generators, both of which were running smoothly for their appearance.

Though a small ball of a combination of fire Dust, gunpowder and a lightning crystal changed that. Felix smiled happily at his art, two blown apart scraps of metal, then turned and underarmed another grenade into a White Fang grunt. The woman was momentarily puzzled before realising what the object was, though it was too late for a single scream. The woman was torn apart, charred and without a solid form. Felix laughed madly and spun on his heel to toss a knife into a frozen grunt, then twirled like a dancer to throw two knives at a pair of running faunus. The shark was having the time of his life, as was his close friend.

Conor swung his newly found sledgehammer into the chest of a deer faunus, her gasp cut short by a lack of usable lungs... or heart. He shoved back another grunt and swung his hammer low, breaking the grunt's ankles and felling the man. Conor raised his hammer and bashed his skull in before resting the hammer on his shoulder, wiping some sweat off his forehead.

"Just like the quarry." He stated with a grin and turned to glance at a trembling White Fang grunt, who squeaked in fear at the bloodstained mask. "Wouldn't you agree?" He asked and sent the poor faunus flying with a swing, then Conor spotted a very special person. "Holy. Fucking. Shit. Adam-motherfucking-Taurus!" He bellowed and caused the already panicked grunts into a further panic, and turning Felix's head.

"Really now?" He asked with a sly grin, making his way towards Conor, slashing a grunt's throat out as he passed. The shark had heard of the Bull, as the Abandoned called him. This was the most extremist faunus in existence, one who was known to also hurt other faunus to get a jap at humans. Felix felt a bit of pity for the Bull's troops, who were probably all recruited a few days ago from the extreme fear that most of the grunts were showing. Conor waited for Felix to reach him before pulling his arm and hammer back, moving a thumb over the Bull's body for a makeshift sight.

"Catch!" He barked and lobbed the hammer into the air, watching it arc and spin as it neared the distracted faunus. "Boom." He murmured and the hammer hit, nicking the Bull's shoulder and sending him to the ground. Felix slapped Conor on the shoulder and laughed, watching the feared Bull scream in agony. Then the sounds of sirens cut through the air, causing both Auxiliaries and the group of White Fang to scramble away. Though one grunt, the sceptical one, dashed from behind a building and took aim at the unaware Auxiliaries with a rifle. Then a large arrow skewered him against the ground, his body now pushed inwards from the arrow.

From atop a building, another faunus stood and examined his work from afar. Then peared over to the two mad Auxiliaries, shaking his head and stepping away from the edge and returning home.

 **Well that was fun to write, lots of insanity and funny parts, subjective to an crowd of course. This is was an introduction to Felix, who was slightly inspired by Rooster Teeth's Red vs Blue character Felix. I enjoyed a more 'casual' story, so two friends going out and ruining plans seemed nice. I however give you a warning, school is starting again so these chapters might be a bit... later? So patience is much appreciated. Cheers.**


	11. Team BRAS: Little Deals, Little Chats

**This chapter is as I usually say, filler, but it also has some key setup for the next few chapters. THE TOURNAMENT! So enjoy this and prepare for like, three or four chapters of fighting.**

 **Also in response to one of my reviews, which kindly asked if I was 12. No, I am not. If it's the writing that gives that impression, then sorry, it's just my style. I haven't written a story like this before, so that's my excuse.**

Raiko stood outside, looking up at the sky. His banner was planted next to him, his hand firmly wrapped around its shaft. His clouded eyes were closed, for he was merely basking in the peace. Raiko heard footsteps come from his right and stop next to him, Alex and Sam no doubt.

"The teachers are saying that today the arena arrives, whatever that means." Sam said with a slight smirk, Alex corssed his arms.

"Obviously the arena is created to move between kingdoms, except one." He spat and Raiko rasied a hand, his eyes still closed.

 **"Soon. Soon we will have revenge."** He signed and the brothers nodded, even if Raiko couldn't see.

"What's going to happen to the citizens?" Alex grunted and Sam looked at him.

"We'll kill them, right?" Sam asked Raiko, the silent biy shook his head.

 **"Heard of Hearts and Minds, boys?"** He signed the question and the pair shook their heads. **"We will rescue the people from the huntsmen's lies, house them, govern them. We will become saviours in their time of need."** Alex chuckled.

"We turn one kingdom against the rest, interesting." He said and Sam grinned.

"Very clever, but what about when the other kingdoms and hunters come here in retaliation?"

 **"We defended these people, they would do the same. Especially when the hear the truths of the huntsmen's false words, and when they are treated better than they would ever imagine."** Raiko answered and Sam nodded.

"I'm assuming the Radioman will reveal them?" Alex asked and Raiko nodded.

 **"And calm the kingdom when the Breach takes place, in a few days."** Raiko signed and Alex grunted.

"Good thinking once again, Raiko." Alex chuckled then frowned, a question forming on his lips. "What about Bill?" He asked, causing Raiko to finally move his head to look at Alex.

 **"His service is now only to get through the tournament, then he dies."** Raiko signed and Alex nodded, Sam smirked.

"About time." He mumbled, then heard something move nearby. Sam cast his glare over the garden, before shrugging and turning back. Unseen, or at least ignored, a raven sat in the tree a few metres away watching them. Strangely, it's beak seemed to curl into a smile. "I guess we should prepare for the tournament, eh?" He asked and Alex nodded.

"I suppose we could duel, or are you going to chicken out again?" He taunted, yet another break in character from him. Sam laughed.

"You wish, Alex. I'll kick your ass any day." He sneered and Alex chuckled, pushing Sam.

"Come on then, prove it." He grunted and led the way to one of the training rooms, leaving Raiko to gaze over the cliff. The raven remained as well, watching over the boy with dark eyes. In the school, Bill was sitting in the cafeteria with his chin resting on his hands. On the table in front of him, his scroll sat with a familiar radio station playing.

"I met this faunus one day, back a couple years, nice guy, and I wanted to know his story. So I ask him, "Hey buddy, what's your story?" The guy looked at me, then scoffed. You know what he said to me? He said, "Why would you care, you're a human." I didn't know back then, but now? I now know that his attitude was understandable, since well, we treated his kind like trash. Before you start yelling at me for these 'lies', I'm just gonna say it's the truth... and that some of you can't handle the truth."

"Who is that?" A voice spoke on Bill's right, he grunted.

"Radioman, from 37.0." He answered and turned his head, looking up at Blake. "His segments are good, you should listen to him." Bill suggested as the next talking segment of the station started.

"In other news, downtown Vale is still in flames from yesterday. From the reports I got, it seems that a few White Fang were in possession of a small fleet of Bullheads, and apparently they had captured a couple Grimm. Huh, I can only think of one other group crazy enough to do something like this, and even then they wouldn't bring Grimm into the heart of a city. From what I can tell, somebody came along and set the airships ablaze. If any White Fang are listening in, I can only warn you of the impending doom of your misguided terrorism." The Radioman's voice was sincere and caused Blake to blink in surprise at the notion of a human actually acknowledging the misguided goals of the new White Fang. "Unfortunately that's all the time we have, so I leave you will some music."

"He actually cares about them?" Blake asked aloud, mostly to herself.

"Aye, the man goes on and on about them. He came from a place when they were treated like animals, seems like that everywhere now." Bill stated with a frown, then reached out to a cup of water and sipping at it. "Back home it's much better." Blake was now intrigued by this new information, so chose to prod some more.

"Where is your home? Your uniform is from Haven, but you and your team come from somewhere else." Blake said and Bill chuckled, then stood up and grabbed his scroll.

"Same as everyone here, the kingdoms." He said with a grin and walked away, leaving Blake to think about the vague answer. Bill wandered the halls until he passed a female student, who looked a bit familiar. "Neo?" The girl stopped and turned, her green eyes filled with confusion then joy. The girl blinked and her eyes switched into their usual pink and brown colour, Bill tilted his head. "What are you doing here?" Then he slapped his forehead. "The tournament, genius." He mumbled in response.

Neo giggled and pulled her scroll out and started typing, leaving Bill to move to lean against a wall. The girl showed her phone to Bill, who decided to read it aloud.

"Cinder wanted a keep up appearances so she called me here to compete." He said and looked at Neo. "What about Roman?" Neo pulled her phone back adn starting typing again, showing him after she was done. "Back at the warehouse? You mean the one that was blown up?" Neo nodded with hesitation, Bill sighed to himself. "Cinder isn't going to be happy."

"I'm not." A voice said behind the pair, not startling either of them. Bill turned on his heel, still leaning on the wall.

"Before you go pointing fingers, I didn't do it." Bill stated when he saw the expression on Cinder's face, she just gave him a deadpan look. "Eh, I'm just saying." Bill said as he shrugged, Cinder ignored him and looked at Neo.

"Leave us." The girl nodded and skipped away, her eyes no doubt a green colour again. Cinder turned to Bill, who could already hear the interrogation in the silent glare. "Bill, I'm going to be blunt. Are you trying to stop our plan from going through?" Bill sighed heavily and put a hand to his face, dragging it down and staring at Cinder.

"How many fucking times do I need to say NO?!" He asked and pushed off the wall. "I want this plan to work, the Abandoned? Probably not, you want to interrogate someone? Find Raiko." He said and started down the hall, then a hand appeared on his shoulder.

"Your tone, Bill. We don't want you to be... burned." Cinder hissed sweetly and Bill chuckled, continuing to walk way.

"And I couldn't give half a damn, see you around." He waved over his shoulder and disappeared around a corner, then groaned behind clenched teeth. He ran his hand through his hair and stared blankly at the floor, luckily nobody was in the halls to see this rare side of Bill. The boy silently shook as he held his head, seemingly ready or in the process of breaking down. But Bill stopped shaking and clenched his fist against his head, looking up with a newfound determination. He would see this through, not even the threats of Cinder will stop him.

Alex and Sam were sitting in the arena, though sitting was being kind. The twins were more or less slumped against each other, their backs the only thing supporting the pair as they sat. Sam huffed and turned his head, a grin on his face.

"I... think... I won... that one." He said and Alex grunted.

"Not... a.. chance." He responded between heavy breathing. "I'm... clearly the... victor."

"Bull...shit." Sam grunted and moved to stand but decided against it before even attempting to, their little duel knocked everything out of them. "I... got first... blood."

"That was... your... own." Alex stated and Sam shook his head, frowning as he breathed in the delicious air.

"I clearly... cut under... your arm." He pointed out, a victorious grin on his face. Which disappeared when he felt something warm going down his side. "Fuck..."

"I win." Alex grunted and Sam sighed, Alex stood up on shaking legs and hauled Sam up and helped him towards the changing rooms. "Gotta clean that up, can't think of an excuse of how a huntsman got a cut in the middle of an academy." Alex grumbled and Sam chuckled.

"Just say I got a boo boo." He laughed and Alex chuckled as he dropped Sam onto a bench and started to pull at the straps on Sam's armour. He gently pulled the chestplate and backplate off of Sam, then the chainmail vest and finally grey shirt and looked at the wound, which lay just above his ribs. "So doc, how bad is it?" Sam asked in a dramatically fearful voice, Alex hummed to himself and looked up at Sam.

"Tis but a flesh wound." The pair shared a laugh as Alex wrapped a bandage around Sam's torso, then stood up and let Sam throw on his shirt. "One more day, then the tournament begins." Alex grunted and Sam nodded, starting to pull his armour off.

"Yup, then a few fights and we have some real fun." He said with a smirk, Alex hummed in response. "You know, I find it funny how we only fight humans and faunus nowadays."

"We want revenge on those who betrayed us, not some filthy dog." Alex grunted. "Besides, we don't need to fight Grimm, they fear us."

"Makes sense since we killed the entire species living on our home." Sam sneered and Alex nodded.

"The fearless now fear." He said sagely and chuckled. Sam stood up and walked over to his locker and threw his armour in, pulling his uniform out. Before he put anything on he paused, then looked at Alex.

"Do you think there's any Grimm dragons out there?" He asked with a quiet voice and Alex grunted.

"Probably. You want to finish the job of the ancients?" Alex asked and Sam shrugged.

"I dunno, I feel like it's my duty." Sam answered and Alex turned to his twin.

"Your duty to the Abandoned comes first. But if there is a dragon, then you can kill it." Alex said and Sam grinned.

"Conflicting words, Alex." He said and Alex nodded, a grin on his face.

"Aye, you know it." Alex said, patting Sam's shoulder.

Raiko was walking through the gardens, his banner on his shoulder, as per usual. His little walk had been going on for a few minutes now, though it had another purpose. His eyes, though clouded, were following a certain raven that seemed to be following him. Raiko decided to start humming a tune, just to make his little follower have something to listen to besides the clacking of shoes on stone.

Suddenly the raven flew past his head, disappearing around the tree that was a few metres up his path. Raiko continued to walk, still appearing to be on a casual stroll. Then a woman in red garb stepped around the tree, the mask on her mask one designed like a bird's face. Raiko slowed to a stop and stared at the woman's face, returning the unseen glare.

"You do not belong here." The woman said in a matter of fact tone, Raiko just nodded as he planted his banner softly.

"Neither do you." He said, the first time he's spoken to somebody other than Velvet. "Yet you are here." The woman chuckled quietly and put her hands on her hips.

"You definitely don't belong here, you scream Banished." The woman said casually, Raiko's fist clenched around Lasting Glory

"Abandoned." He corrected and shifted his banner to his other hand. "I'm assuming your not will these hunters?" He asked and the woman shook her head.

"Once, now I live with my family. Now to the more pressing matter, you and your army." The woman's words caused Raiko to raise an eyebrow.

"That is just a mere battalion, a legion, from the kingdom. However, in time, more will arrive in mass." Raiko said in response. The woman tilted her head, clearly confused about the reveal of information.

"Why are you telling me this?" The woman asked and Raiko smiled.

"I have an offer, that might interest you." With those words, the woman's curiosity was peeked.

"Oh? Is that so?" She murmured and reached up to her helmet, pulling it off her pale face. "What is this... offer?"

"I'm offering you work, for payment." He said simply and the pale woman laughed.

"What can you pay me with? A couple Lien? A favour?" She smuggly asked and Raiko stared at her, then with out breaking eye contact pulled something from his pocket and flicked over to her. The woman caught the object and examined it, her eyes widening. "Is this-"

"Gold? Yes, and we have a lot of it." Raiko stated with a smile, watching the woman gape at the coin of gold. "So what do you say?"

"What's your game?" The woman asked quietly and clenched her fingers around the coin. "You give me promises of riches, but you want something in return, what is it that you want?" Raiko sighed at the question.

"What I need is someone with the power that you wield on your hip, to transport my men from my home here." Raiko answered honestly, the pale woman raised an eyebrow.

"And why would I do that?" She asked, Raiko had to admit it was a good question.

"Because you and your family won't be our next targets if you do this for us, or would you rather a few platoons after you till the ends of time?" Raiko answered harshly, then his expression softened. "Or perhaps protection? With your powers you-"

"Shut up. I'll do it." The woman growled and Raiko smiled warmly, offering his hand to shake.

"To seal the deal." He explained as the woman gripped his hand. "The name's Raiko."

"Raven, I look forward to our business." She responded, her red eyes narrowed.

"I'll call on you when the time is right, till then. Enjoy life." Raiko said with a smirk and Raven rolled her eyes.

"Sure." She mumbled and walked around the tree again, causing a raven to fly around the opposite side. Raiko kept his grin as he watched the raven pass by then disappear through the garden. Then his attention was drawn to the sounds of footsteps, he turned and spotted the rest of his team jogging towards him.

"Raiko, come on! The arena is flying by!" Sam said quickly and Raiko quickly joined the team in jogging to the cliff, joining many other teams at the edge. As they reached the railing, they spotted the arena. The Vytal Arena, the collection of the four kingdoms' resources and hard work. The arena was built as a monument to the peace that the kingdoms have achieved over many years, but only four kingdoms assisted in the creation of this 'achievement'.

The Amity Colosseum was, at a distance, designed to look like a cone. At the bottom was a number of white or grey crystals, either for aesthetics or the assistance in the entire structure floating. Along the sides of the colosseum was a ring of bluish-green glass, below them were the landing pads. Though the Vytal Festival and Tournament were going to be occupied by huntsmen and huntresses of the four kingdoms, the number of Atlesian airships screamed overprotective.

"Damn that's a big airship." Bill commented and pointed to a larger airship, flying close to the arena. "Looks like we have another leader in the fray." He stated and chuckled. "Guess we have another threat, eh?"

 **"Not a target, a distraction. Eyes on the objective, Bill."** Raiko signed, not looking at Bill. **"Tomorrow, we begin the end. Tomorrow, we kick some huntsmen ass. Tomorrow, we have some fun."**

 **And like that, I finish this chapter. I've made this a tiny bit shorter than the rest, but I assure you... these next few chapters, will be great. Hopefully. Anyways thanks for reading this story so far. Cheers.**


	12. Team BRAS: More like a Puma

**Woo! Gonna enjoy this, I am. I ain't gonna lie, the next couple chapters will be concentrated on fighting, but there will be brakes for chat and banter. Enjoy this first taste of the tournament between team BRAS and team PUMA, you know, like the cat. All OC's belong to myself and my friend, who was very descriptive of his once bland character that would die off quickly.**

Team BRAS sat on the Bullhead, quiet and stoic. They were seated next to three other teams from Beacon, team RWBY, team CRDL and team CFVY. Team RWBY were all smiling and chatting with each other, though occasionally sparing glances at the all boys team on their side. Team CRDL were just quietly waiting, checking their armour and weapons. CFVY were cheerfully talking with each other next to BRAS, Velvet sat close to Raiko to the amusement of her team.

The Bullhead shuddered as it landed, startling the passengers within. "I thought it'd take longer." Cardin said as he stood up, stretching. He led his team out onto the floating arena's landing pad, smirks on their faces. RWBY and CFVY both got out next and talked with each other as they walked, clearly excited about the upcoming battling. Team BRAS waited a moment before standing up.

Sam whistled as he hopped off the Bullhead, his eyes scanning the massive structure up close. Alex and Raiko merely hummed in the appreciation of the design, and its meaning. Bill just snorted.

"This doesn't seem like much." He said coldly, causing Alex to look back at him.

"I guess architecture flys over your head, Bill." He stated and gestured with his shielded arm around the platform. "This is quite impressive."

"Yeah, but it was built by these lot." Bill responded and Sam chuckled.

"Someone's lost their friendly side." Sam said with a grin and Bill shrugged.

"Guess so, come on. Let's go find something to do." He said and walked towards one of the large door, though his eye caught something before he entered. A plaque, which read 'Amity Colosseum'. "Interesting." He mumbled to himself and continued through, his helmet held tightly with his right hand at his hip. His other hand moved to cover his eyes as the sunlight shone upon him, like a god above wanted this moment to be important.

"Well, hello." Sam said from Bill's right, his attention drawn to the massive battle arena in the centre of the floating stadium. "This is fucking massive." He stated and walked up to the railing along the edge, peering over and down into the fighters seating area.

"This was built to house fighting of huntsmen and huntresses, who all use various weapons." Alex said as he walked up and leaned on the railing, which creaked slightly. He stood back and Sam laughed.

"Guess our armour is a bit too heavy, eh?" He asked and Alex grunted, looking away with a frown. Raiko walked past Bill's left and placed his free hand on the railing, lightly of course. He stared out with his cloudy eyes, seemingly looking for someone or something. Then the tall boy leaned back and smiled from under his raised visor.

 **"We're up first."** He signed and Sam smirked with Bill, Alex hummed.

"Who are we-?" He started to ask then frowned. "How do you know that?" Raiko just pointed at the massive screen on the far side of the colosseum, below what looked like a commentators box. On its face was four pictures of their team's profiles, opposite was another four panels with profiles. Just above the two sets of profiles was a countdown, which was currently on five minutes.

"Guess we gotta move, let's go." Bill barked and lead the group down a flight of stairs near the entrance, appearing in a locker room. The four teens quickly took the time to check their weapons for faults, or procrastinating in their own ways. Then a voice bellowed from a speaker nearby.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to the 40th Vytal Festival!" A booming voice greeted from the speakers, deafening Sam who was next to the one in the room. "Today we are starting with a battle, between two teams from Haven and Shade! How about we introduce them, Professor Oobleck?" The voice of Professor Port asked.

"Doctor." Another voice corrected. "And yes, we will! Coming from Shade Academy, is team PUMA!" Sam blinked.

"Puma? That doesn't sound like a colour." He stated and Alex shrugged.

"Maybe because a puma is black, you'd associate a puma with the colour black?" He offered.

"Leading the team is Andre Payne!" Professor Port boomed with enthusiasm. "With Umber Iwashita, Scott Midnight and Codie Argent as his teammates! Their tactics are unorthodox, but effective!" Port said with a laugh. "Reminds me of a time when-"

"Their opponents hail from Haven, team BRAS!" Oobleck interrupted, immediately the team stood and waited by the still closed doors into the arena, with Bill and Raiko at the front and Alex and Sam at the back. As the doors opened slowly, allowing light to poor in and the sounds to echo through, the team pulled their helmets on and visors down. "Led by Bill... no last name? His teammates are Raiko, Alex and Sam!.. also with no last names." Oobleck sounded confused, but the laughter of Port returned his attention.

"They fight with powerful swings, devastating punches and the intent to win!" Professor Port's words brought grins to Sam and Bill's faces, though they were hidden by their visors. The teens entered the arena, their armour shining gold as they marched towards the centre of the colosseum. Sam took the opportunity to raise Blitz Fang into the air and cheer, pumping his halberd into the air three times. Bill swung and twirled Brand and Thorn around, before resuming his usual stance. Alex did nothing and Raiko raised his banner higher, the pair not wanting be seen as cocky like their teammates.

Their march halted at last, both Sam and Alex walked to the sides of Raiko and Bill to get a good look at their opponents.

Their opposition was also an all boys team, though unlike theirs the opposition wore different clothes and barely any armour. The boy opposite Sam was Andre, from his stance he seemed overconfident. The boy's face was lightly freckled and his hair was blond, though dark. His clothes were simple. A grey hoodie with red pixels, baggy cargo pants and grey sneakers. His weapon was equally simple, a longsword with a grey hilt and a bar going from the cross guard towards the pommel. His stance was relaxed and he grinned at Sam.

Raiko's opposite was the black haired Scott, hair puffed into an afro, with an emotionless face. His clothes were just a dark t-shirt and shorts, with a bandolier with a bunch of pouches and cylinders on it. His weapon appeared to be just a dagger, with no extra features. The boy just stared at Raiko, who returned the stare. Bill's opponent was a sandy haired boy with freckles, who seemed nervous under his mask's stoic stare, this was Codie. His clothes were a grey shirt, long white pants and grey sneakers, if Bill didn't know better he could've mistaken this guy as an Abandoned soldier. His weapon was a large pike, which seemed unwieldy when not used from horseback.

Alex stood opposite the most... different, of the opposite team. Umber. The boy towered over his team, on par with Raiko. His face was covered by a mask, shaped around his face. It was made from a black, reflective material, and revealed only Alex's armour body. His clothes were, to simply put, dapper. He wore a brown, three piece suit that seemed to be slightly bulging in the arms, legs and chest. To contrast against the whole business vibe, he wore black boots. In his hands was a cane, with a flat handle and shaft the narrowed to the bottow, to Alex it looked like something a pimp would use.

"Nice mask." Alex called over, the lanky teen nodded.

"Thanks, nice armour. Very shiny." He responded in a mature, but still young, voice.

"Cheers." Alex returned with a nod. The leader of PUMA looked down the line and spotted Bill, he waved at him.

"Hey! May the best win! That's us, by the way!" He taunted in a squeaky voice, which just caused Bill to shake his head. The Arena suddenly shook as the floor behind both teams disappeared, then rose from the dark depths with new environments. Behind BRAS was an urban landscape, ruined like Mountain Glenn. High cliffs and pine trees lay behind PUMA, Umber seemed to become a bit excited at this.

"Looks like the teams are ready for battle! Begin in three" Port's voice boomed around the colosseum. Raiko lowered his head slightly, glaring at Scott through the larger gap in his visor. Sam swung Blitz Fang around and grabbed it with both hands, Alex raised Thundering Brass onto his shoulder and leveled his shield over his chest. Bill raised both Brand and Thorn above his head and held them in an X shape, before slashed away and holding both swords at his sides.

"..two!" Andre spun his sword and held it with both hands, blade resting just on his shoulder. Scott lowered his body and twirled his dagger into a reverse grip, Codie leveled his pike at Bill and leaned slightly back and Umber stood up but still rested his cane on the ground, his stance calm.

"..one!" Port shouted.

"And BEGIN" Oobleck said loudly, with that the teams moved. Sam turned and shot a bolt of lightning at Scott, Alex rushed Umber, Bill charged towards Codie while Raiko raised his banner high. Scott wasn't expecting the bolt and grunted, but quickly ducked under the next blast. Codie let out a warcry and charged Bill, his pike already ready for thrusting. Bill spun around the long spear and slashed Codie's shoulder, then raised both swords up to smash down. Scott had to sidestep another bolt before Andre reached Sam, swinging his sword at his head.

"Come on!" He yelled as Sam caught the blade with his halberd's shaft and shoved him back, then ran to Andre's left. The boy couldn't follow the sudden movement, but felt the strong hit to his back. Andre grunted and spun around, swinging his sword and clashing against Sam's halberd again. Andre growled and tried to push Sam off, but failed and felt the blunt end of Blitz Fang in his ribs. "Stop that!"

Scott pulled one of his cylinders from his belt and pulled the pin on it, throwing it at Sam's back. The makeshift grenade exploded and created a puddle of flame on his back, though it didn't stop him from kicked Andre's legs and swinging his halberd down and knocking him down. "Damnit! Stop that!" Another grenade and that stopped. Sam turned and gave a low growl, marching towards the now isolated boy with his halberd raised.

Codie dropped under Bill's swing and swung his pike around at the boy's legs, knocking him off balance. Codie took the opportunity to dash away and charge at Raiko, who remained steadfast with his banner raised high. Codie grinned as he neared the blind boy, not thinking or spotting him pull his arm back. Raiko lunged forwards and grabbed the shaft of the pike, halting Codie's charge. Then he pulled it back and Codie along with it, before releasing the pike and launching a fast punch to the boy's chest.

Codie was launched a couple of metres back, both due to lack of balance and the force of what felt like hundreds of fists hitting him. He landed near the bottom of the rocky mountains, near Alex and Umber. Alex was slowly advancing towards the dapper teen, his shield raised slightly. Umber stood a few feet above him, resting on his cane. Alex suddenly leapt forwards and swung his sword down, smashing against rock. Umber stepped away and silently waited for Alex once again. The armoured boy grunted and marched towards the boy, his shielded arm lowered.

Suddenly Umber dashed forwards and slammed his cane against Alex's chest, knocking him back an inch. Apparently Umber was expecting more, because he tilted his head in confusion. Alex took the chance to slap the cane down with his shield and swung his sword in a wide arc. Umber jumped over the sword and raised his cane, bashing it down onto Alex's head with a bang. Alex grunted and threw a quick jab with his shield, clipping Umber's shoulder. The dapper teen jumped back and kicked a larger rock down the steep mountain, Alex sidestepped it and followed after Umber.

Codie and Scott hit each other's backs and stared down their opponents, Bill and Sam. The pair from PUMA exchanged a fist bump and got into stances, Bill dashed forwards and slashed across his body. Scott, with surprising strength and skill, pushed the blades aside and ducked, allowing Codie to push his pike into Bill's helmeted face. Unfortunately, Sam appeared and slammed his halberd down against the pike, knocking it off course. Bill let out a bark of laughter before kicking Scott in the face, knocking both him and Codie back.

Andre was praying that he wouldn't screw this up. While his team were distracted by those from team BRAS, he was sneaking up on the silent bannerman. "Nice and easy, nice and easy." He whispered with a grin when he stood up from behind Raiko and raised his sword, then slashed down diagonally with a triumphant cheer. "HA HAH!" Raiko's body leaned forward, then froze. Slowly, the boy turned his head around and stared at Andre. It was then that the freckled boy noticed the other three members of Raiko's team slowly turn in sync with him. "Oh." Andre could only say as Raiko spun and backhanded Andre, smashing his Aura and sending him flying.

"Ouch! That looks like it hurt!" Professor Port commented and the crowd agreed with sounds of pain. Raiko then turned back and raised his banner once more, then planted it harshly. An unseen bell tolled, causing many students from Beacon to flinch back in their seats. Sam and Bill quickly abandoned their targets and ran to Raiko, Alex did the same but just leapt from the top of the mountain. While Umber cursed to himself over this unexpected move, the two other members of his team watched in stunned surprise at the sudden regrouping.

Raiko raised his banner again, held it high before planting it firmly. When Lasting Glory hit the platform, two bells sounded in the distance. Umber watched in fascination as team BRAS roared with power, their energy doubled and their victory in sight. Bill sprinted towards Scott and Codie, who quickly adopted stances for battle.

"Time to wrap this up!" Bill bellowed and leapt up into the air, holding Brand and Thorn in reverse grips. He slammed into the ground and cracked the artificial ground, sending Codie stumbling back. Suddenly Bill released his swords, which were still stuck in the ground, and lunged at Codie. He grabbed his face and raised him up, then tossed him to the side. Besides scratching Aura, Codie seemed fine. Until Sam shoulder barged Codie as he got to his feet and grabbed his halberd with both hands, aiming it down into the centre of Codie's chest and thrusting.

With Codie and Andre out of the game, Scott took the chance to retreat to Umber. Unfortunately, Alex was gaining fast on his heels. Umber frowned and pulled his cane up and held it like a batsman, whistling at Scott.

"Toss a grenade!" He barked and Scott underarmed another makeshift can of Dust, Umber waited for a moment before swinging. The can was hit hard enough to knock Alex off balance again, then when the explosive went off he was thrown off the mountain. Scott climbed up to Umber and breathed heavily.

"That was close." He stated and Umber nodded, then a loud grunt turned their heads. Sam had landed next to them and already spinning with his halberd out, Umber pulled Scott back just as the blade flew past. Umber pressed a button on his cane and the shaft quickly retreated into the handle, revealing a long and sharpened rapier. Umber ducked under another swing of Blitz Fang and leaned close to the ground, thrusting his rapier into the exposed chainmail of Sam's gauntlet. The boy jerked back and pulled his fist back, allowing Umber to jump back. Sam threw the punch and Umber jumped, time seemed to slow for Sam as he looked up at the pair of boots flying towards his face.

"Bastard!" Sam growled as he was pushed back, shaking his head he stepped forwards. Only to step on uneven stone and trip slightly, but enough for Scott to dash forwards and shove Sam to the side. The armoured boy let out a surprised yell as he hit the stone, but the victory was short lived as Scott turned and got a face full of brass fist. Bill stared at the stunned boy before slashing across the boy's body, dropping his Aura into the red. Then he turned and stared up at Umber, his cloak waving behind him.

"You fight well." Umber said loudly, gesturing to his fallen teammates. "Though against these guys, guaranteed for you to win." Bill let out a low growl and raised his swords, then swung Brand down and launched a ring of fire at Umber. The dapper teen just raised his raiper and deflected the attack. "Come." Umber said in a sharp voice, raising his rapier to either attack to parry at will. Bill, unfortunately still under the glory of the banner, charged up the mountainous terrain and slashed down at the only opponent left.

Umber flicked the attack to the side and slipped the blade around Bill's arm and into the chainmail around his shoulder, doing a bit more damage to Bill's Aura. This game of deflection and counter attacking only went on for two more clashes before Bill kicked out and knocking Umber off his feet. The dapper teen groaned before flipping onto his feet and jumping backwards, dodging the ground slam that Bill unleashed. Umber heard something on his left and leaned back, watching a bolt of lightning pass by. Looks like Sam was up and combat ready, unfortunately Umber had more pressing matters to attend to.

"Why. Won't. You. Fall?!" Bill snarled as he spun and struck, his attacks furious and more than defiantly fast. Umber flicked his rapier and parried the fury, luck seemed to smile upon him on this day. Then a heavy thud behind Umber introduced a new problem. Umber turned his body and kicked at Alex, trying to keep him at bay. A bolt hit Umber's chest, Bill slashed his arm, Alex charged forwards.

"Need space." Umber said to himself and leapt off the mountain, behind him the sounds of metal clashing brought a chuckle to his covered lips. Sam wasn't expecting the boy to leap from the mountain so simply stared in silent respect at the dapper teen, who was growing a bit bigger... almost as if he was dropping... on top of him.

"Damnit." Sam whispered as he was slammed into the floor by the weight of Umber. The dapper teen groaned and looked up, spotting the discarded sword of his team leader. Umber stood up and rushed towards the weapon and grabbed it, then turned to face the music. Bill and Alex slid down the mountain and landed with a thud, Sam got up with a growl, all three were ready to finish this. They charged towards the boy with raised weapons, Umber leveled his rapier and held Andre's sword above his head. This would be the end of this battle.

"Stop fighting! Time's up!" The voice of Professor Port startled the four, who looked up at the aura level screen. It showed all but Umber of PUMA to be in the red levels of Aura, his was only in the yellow surprisingly. Team BRAS however, were all either in green or yellow. Umber heard a surprised whistle from Sam behind him. "Team PUMA loses by Aura count! Team BRAS of Beacon wins!" The crowd cheered loudly, clapping and whistling to show their enjoyment of the battle. Umber heard somebody approach him and turned, it was Raiko. The boy stared at Umber, then put his hand out.

"Good fight." Umber said and shook the offered hand, Raiko nodded and released Umber's hand. Raiko walked back to his team and raised his banner a few times in a show of triumph, joining his team in their march back to their changing rooms. Umber turned and helped his teammates up before sparing one last glance at the armoured students, before shaking his head and returning to his own locker rooms.

 **I had fun writing this, I hope it didn't get too boring. Ah well, I did say it was gonna be fighting upon fighting. Anyway, you can probably tell that there's something in store for Umber Iwashita, there is. However this will only be worked on and with during later chapters, so patiently wait please. Umber is also one of my friend's OC's, who was very helpful in fleshing out just another corp- I mean side character out. Thanks for your help, when ever you get to this part of the story.**

 **Anyhow, the next chapter will be up sometime soon... hopefully. Cause I am on I roll!**


	13. Team BRAS: Calm Before the Storm

**Surprise, you poor readers! You though I'd wait before writing another chapter? I was one step ahead! I'm writing five chapters to release at the same time, which is now, whenever you're reading this. I'm doing this to give you something to read so I can get back into school life, the bestest time of a kid's life. Ha ha... ha... I'm so sad.**

"That was fucking amazing." Sam said breathlessly, pulling his helmet off and collapsing against the wall. Alex chuckled.

"Umber definitely doesn't belong in a huntsman academy, he's trained." Alex commented as he sat on one of the benches in the middle of the room. "Hits hard too."

"I'm disappointed in you all." Bill said as he tore his helmet off and dropped it on the bench next to him, his voice cold. "We should've won that without a single problem, yet it took the entire timeframe for us to win, against a single guy." He stood with his arms crossed, a scowl on his face. Raiko stepped up to Bill and stared deep into his eyes.

 **"We are victorious. We all did well, we did not expect that much power but we still won. The only thing disappointing is your attitude."** Raiko signed. Bill's fist clenched tightly and he narrowed his eyes at Raiko.

"I want our victories to be quick, not ending due to the time." He snapped at Raiko.

 **"You are being foolish then. These hunters might be our enemy and be much weaker, but there are times when we will be defeated. This is not one of them."** Raiko signed with a frown and walked over to a wall and leaning against it, the the speaker system boomed again.

"Next up are team RWBY from Beacon and team ABRN from Haven, but we'll be taking a break for all of the contestants and those here or those home watching this event!" Port said in his usual bombastic voice.

"The next battle will happen in twenty minutes, don't be late!" Oobleck chimed in, then the speakers went quiet. Bill sighed to himself and grabbed his helmet again.

"I'm hungry, we should go down to the festival and eat." He said, the others mumbled agreement and followed Bill back out onto the spectator level, bumping into a man in a suit. "My apologies, sir." He said quickly then paused for a moment, recognising the dapper suit. "It's you."

"Yes." Umber nodded, still wearing his reflective mask. "I was just heading into Vale, curious about the festival." He hummed, Bill nodded.

"We were planning to go down there too, for food of course." He explained when Umber tilted his head, the dapper teen hummed.

"You fought well, very strong, though you started to lose it near the end." Umber commented and Bill frowned, Alex took the lead before his leader said something stupid.

"Aye, but you handled it." He praised and Umber shrugged.

"Just watched, waited. Wanted to know what you'd do before reacting." Umber stated, Alex grunted.

"I noticed that, you are very different than your teammates." Alex said and Umber nodded.

"Different upbringing, different personality." Umber explained, leaning on his cane. "You are all the same, different upbringings."

"Well we did grow up doing jobs at home." Sam said as he walked around Bill, a grin on his face. "Carving, writing, playing instruments, that sort of stuff." It was then that Bill's stomach growled loudly, causing Alex to smirk and Sam to laugh. "Well this was a nice chat, but we need to feed our friend here."

"There's a few airships on the east side of the arena, they will take you directly to Vale." Umber said and pointed a thumb over his shoulder, the team gave nods of thanks and walked around the airship pad to the east side, finding three large airships. They hopped aboard one, joining a crowd of civilians. They landed and found a few stalls, mostly selling homemade foods. As they ate at a picnic table in a park, they heard something familiar. Alex looked around and pointed another group at the next table, who were listening to a small radio.

"...heard that team BRAS won the first round of the tournament, man I miss those guys. We go back, waaaay back. I think I still own them some money, ah well I don't think they'll remember." The Radioman said in a cheeky tone, Sam slapped his palm on the table.

"I knew we forgot something." He said in disappointment.

"Unfortunately I have some bad news..." The Radioman adopted a sad tone, causing team BRAS to look confused. "There was a report that an outlining town, outside of Vale, was destroyed by Grimm. The villagers were saved however, by men in medieval armour and White Fang uniforms. Now, I ain't someone who makes mistakes, but I'm sure that the huntsmen are meant to kill the Grimm, not some third party." The Radioman chuckled to himself and continued. "Strange that the White Fang helped the survivors, who were all human! I thought that they hated them, just some split off to fight the good fight, eh?" The Radioman laughed, Bill shook his head.

"Everyone's getting cocky." He muttered and took a bit of his pastry. "Honestly though, it's good to hear that our guys are doing something."

"Aye." Alex agreed, then he noticed someone approaching them. "Heads up." He muttered in a low voice, alerting his team. The newcomer was a very familiar Professor.

"Hello, boys." Ozpin greeted, standing at the end of their picnic table. "You fought well today." He said and took a sip from his coffee.

"Thanks sir." Bill said with a smile.

"Enjoying the festival?" Ozpin asked and they nodded.

"Mostly the food." Sam said with a grin, Ozpin chuckled.

"Of course." He said then began to walk away, but stopped. "You should rest up for awhile, never know when you'll be called on for another battle." With that, the Headmaster walked away into the crowd.

"That's another thing." Alex said, bringing the team's attention back. "Who goes into the doubles round?" Bill frowned and rubbed his chin.

"I think we put it to a vote?" Bill offered, but Raiko shook his head.

 **"Dice. We number ourselves two, three, four and five, then re-roll on the one and sixes."** Raiko signed, pulling out a single die from his armour, demonstrating the armour's power of spawning just about anything relevant to the story. Wait hold on-

"That seems like a good idea." Alex grunted, Sam nodded and Bill shrugged.

"May as well." He said, leaning forwards. "I want three."

"Two." Sam immediately said after Bill, Alex grunted.

"Four." Was Alex's answer, leaving Raiko with five. The bannerman closed his hand into a fist around the dice and shaking it, then he slammed his fist onto the table. Slowly, he removed his hand and revealed the number. A four. Alex smirked at Sam, who just huffed and returned to his soup.

"Still need one more, Sam." Alex said and instantly Sam was turned towards the dice. Raiko picked up the dice again and shook his fist, slapping it against the table and revealing it.

"One." Bill stated and Raiko shook his head, picking the dice up and redoing the roll. Six.

"Bad luck." Sam commented and Raiko rolled again, landing another re-roll.

"Pass it here." Bill said and Raiko flicked the dice over, Bill caught it and rolled it along the table. The team watched it roll to the edge, then fall over. Sam and Alex were close to the end and leaned down, picking the dice up and placing it on the table.

"Five." Alex and Sam said in sync, Bill frowned and Raiko looked smug. "Looks like we unleash a beat down together, eh?" Alex grunted and fist bumped Raiko, both grinning.

"Raiko!" A girl's voice called from behind the team, they turned and saw Velvet walking towards them. She was in her fighting outfit, which Raiko examined quickly. She wore a brown, long sleeved shirt that stopped at her midriff, with two golden, layered shoulder pads. Underneath, covering her skin was a black mesh, perhaps another shirt. She was brown pants, her legs covered by black boots. With a loose golden belt hanging around her waist and a small purple flower in her hair, as well as her emblem of a stitched heart, finishing her outfit off.

 **"Velvet! Good to see you."** Raiko signed, when he noticed her confused look he nodded at his team.

"Ah, so this is your little girlfriend, Raiko." Bill said with a grin, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't think you had it in you."

 **"At least I tried, Bill... and succeeded."** Raiko signed, smiling at Velvet at the end. The faunus blushed and pouted.

"Well done on the win." She congratulated and smiled warmly, Sam passed something under the table to Alex.

"Thank you." Alex said, to both Velvet and Sam.

 **"Do you know when you are fighting?"** Raiko asked and Velvet nodded.

"In a few hours, last one of the day." Velvet answered and Raiko smiled.

 **"I'll make sure I'll be there."** Raiko signed, putting a smile and blush of Velvet's face.

"T-thank you." She stuttered, Raiko silently chuckled. Velvet's ears twitched suddenly, then she pulled her scroll out from her pocket. "Oh, Coco's messaging me. Sorry, Raiko, but I gotta go." Raiko just smiled and nodded, he waved as she retreated into the crowds of civilians.

"You do know-"

 **"Bill I swear to god I will gut you."** Raiko signed, interrupting the boy.

"Alright, what the fuck?" Bill stammered and Raiko glared at him.

 **"You are being a negative annoyance, so do either change that or shut up."** Raiko signed angrily, Bill snorted.

"An annoyance?" Bill asked with an exaggerated tone.

"Bill, shut up." Alex grunted.

"Yeah, honestly you've been a prick for no reason lately." Sam put in, Bill scowled.

"Maybe because I'm treated like shit?" He asked sarcastically, Alex gave him a deadpan stare.

"Have a guess why?" He grunted and Bill just laughed, harsh and forced.

"Oh! Who fucking knows! Perhaps it's the fact that everyone hates me, for taking the fucking initiative?" Bill snarled quietly, noticing a family walking past.

"You disobeyed the Link, an act that should've given severe punishment." Alex stated coldly, Bill stared at him with wide eyes.

"And die on that island? Waiting for another hundred years for some plan to pop into his head?" Bill sneered, Sam leaned forwards.

"You need to get back in line, Bill." Sam stated, Bill stood up and snorted.

"Yeah, with someone who actually respects thinking." Bill spat and stormed away, leaving team BRAS divided. Though it meant little to the three still at the table. Alex and Sam glanced at Raiko, who was staring at the spot Bill was just sitting at.

"Raiko?" Sam asked hesitantly, the blind boy turned his head.

 **"He dies first."** Raiko signed with a straight face, revealing nothing.

"Of course." Alex grunted and took a sip of his water, trying to salvage some of the peace. Then a thought struck him, so he slowly turned back to Raiko. "What... happens to the huntsmen?" Raiko glanced at Alex with a raised eyebrow. "Are we killing all of them, or capturing them?

 **"Force them out, capture stragglers, kill any heavy opposition."** Raiko answered and Alex nodded slowly, returning to his water.

"Why that question, Alex?" Sam asked.

"Just looking out for our 'allies'." Alex answered with a chuckled, but glanced at Raiko as an extra hint. Sam raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment, then decided to listen into the Radioman on the other table.

"...and team RWBY wins the round! Looks like ABRN need to work on their spacing! Next fight is between team CHRM from Atlas and team CRDL from Beacon, how I know this? Well that's a trade secret! Now we move onto... hold on. Hold your horses, I'm getting reports of an attack near Atlas. Looks like there's a small outpost inneed of reinforcements, that'd be you hunters. So I guess that's our segment, commentary and a warning system." The Radioman laughed, then returned to his usual tone. "What is up with the Grimm around here, attacking more and more."

"I wonder why?" Sam asked sarcastically, Alex frowed.

"Damned witch." He spat and Raiko nodded.

 **"The two will fall, that is set in stone."** Raiko signed and Alex grunted.

"Good. Can't stand the thought of their existence." Alex stated and Sam chuckled, patting his twin on his armoured shoulder. The team sat for a while, talking about anything that came to mind when another familiar team arrived.

"Hey there!" Ruby Rose chirped as she appeared next to their table.

"Howdy." Sam greeted and looked at team RWBY. "You won."

"Yup." Yang answered, then frowned. "But I didn't see you up there, how did you know?" Sam pointed at the radio over on the other table.

"Radioman." He said simply, causing Blake to raise an eyebrow.

"The human who cares for faunus?" Both Alex and Sam nodded in sync.

"Yup, the one and only. Well with a radio station at least, the rest just block out each other.." Sam answered with a grin, looking at the black haired girl. "You seem to support faunus rights, I can tell." Blake nodded, saying nothing more. So Weiss spoke up.

"Your fight was strange." She stated, narrowing her eyes.

"What? We won? Yes, very strange." Alex grunted with a grin, the white wearing girl scoffed.

"No, near the end you seemed more... beastly." She corrected and Alex nodded at Raiko.

"Just the thought of glory, wanted to win." He said and leaned back, Yang raised an eyebrow.

"Glory?" She asked. "Of beating a team into the ground?"

"No." Sam answered quickly with a frown. "Battle, just to get our blood pumping and adrenaline going. We wanted to end it as soon as possible, so Raiko called us back and essentially buffed us." Sam explained, sending a glance at Raiko. Ruby looked at the banner, a curious glint in her eye that Alex noticed.

"I wouldn't do that, Red." Alex grunted and she looked at him with a confused look. "I guess you've forgotten what happens when somebody touches his banner." He said and Yang looked like she remembered something.

"Oh right, he puts forks into tables." Yang stated with a snap of her fingers, Raiko grinned and Sam laughed loudly.

"Basically." Alex answered, his own grin on his face. Unfortunately both Ruby and Weiss were now curious.

"But it doesn't look like it uses Dust? Is it a semblance that you use through the banner?" Ruby asked and Raiko paused, before shaking and nodding his head.

"Yes and no?" Weiss asked and Raiko nodded, she frowned. "That sounds absurd! Is it Dust or is it a semblance?" She asked, before realising she used both her semblance and Dust in her fighting style. "Never mind." She muttered, looking defeated by her own ignorance. Then team RWBY all spotted the sheathed sword on Raiko's back, Ruby asked the question on their minds.

"What about your sword?" She asked innocently, Raiko blinked and tilted his head. "Why didn't you use your sword?" Raiko shrugged, but had an air of defence around him.

"But wouldn't it be better to fight with?" Weiss asked and Raiko paused, staring at her. He slowly shook his head, still staring at her.

"Then why have it on your back?" Blake asked and Raiko just shrugged, only she noticed a bead of sweat go down his face.

"Yeah, it seems like useless weight." Yang stated and Raiko nodded, causing the team to gawk at him in confusion.

"You're admitting it's extra weight?" Weiss asked in a surprised tone, Raiko nodded once.

"So why do you have it on your back?" Ruby asked, Raiko turned to Sam and signed something to him. The twin laughed and turned to the girls team.

"He asked why do you have skirts?" Immediately, Ruby and Weiss adopted frowns.

"Because it looks cool!" Ruby stated while Weiss scoffed and turned away, not answering the question. Raiko put a thumbs up to Ruby, who blinked before understanding. "You wear it because it looks cool?" She guessed and Raiko nodded, she simply shrugged. "Understandable."

"Sorry to interrupt, but weren't we meant to find some food?" Yang asked and Ruby hopped into the air with a gasp.

"Right! Well we should be going, see yah!" She waved and the team walked towards the food stalls, Alex and Sam watched them leave before looking at Raiko in worry.

"You alright Raiko?" Alex asked and the blind boy looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "It's just the questions seemed to be getting to you."

 **"I'm fine, you two. Just brings up memories."** Raiko answered and looked up, at the floating colosseum.

"If you say so." Sam said with a smile. "I'm assuming you'll be hanging around for that girl?" He asked Raiko and got a nod and deadpan stare in response, Sam put his hands up. "Just asking, I was planning to sleep awhile for my Aura to recharge. Tomorrow I can guarantee we have a fight, it's better to be prepared."

"I can get behind that idea." Alex grunted as he rose from the picnic table, following Sam towards the Bullheads. Raiko stood as well, following them but hopping aboard another airship. The twins and bannerman depard to separate destinations, unaware of a crow's constant gaze from the tree that hung over their picnic table. The bird took off towards Beacon, towards the large tower that dominated the academy.

* * *

I felt my chest freeze, the blood within slowing. The towering knight slowly marched towards me, his gleaming smile reflecting the fires that roared with deafening screams. I turned my head left, only seeing a pair of charred corpses clutching to each other. My right had was dominated by a massive window, filled by the faces of screaming corpses. The knight neared and I struggled against my bonds, against the hollowed and withered hands of the corpses. The towering knight's sword swung and disturbed countless embers, then he pulled his sword back and wrapped his other hand around my face, his fingers burning.

When I felt the coiled blade enter my chest, I felt only flame. The horrific grinning knight threw me against the flaming floor, though it didn't hurt. My eyes were locked on the two bodies embracing each other, their burned cape and faintly golden hair familiar. The towering knight stepped between my gaze and the bodies, his mere presence charring my face. The grinning knight hauled me into the air, his hands crushing my skull between them.

I saw his horrible smile, its sharpened teeth looked ready to grind bone. Then my eyes flew to a faint crack on the towering knight's face, it cascaded everywhere. When the face shattered it revealed only...

* * *

Weiss gasped as she sat up, her hair drenched with sweat. She raised her hands and felt her face and chest, still breathing harshly. After a minute, she regained control of her breathing and returned to sleep, trying to ignore the terrible nightmare. The nightmare that would soon become a reality, for more than one person.

 **That's a number two. Next is the doubles round, between another OC team, teeeeaaaaam CHRM. All OC's were created by myself, just another reminder. Anyway, keep reading for another action packed chapter.**


	14. Team BRAS: Chrome Sparks

**Our 2v2 fight! Alongside this my friends, is the introduction of an old character. I ain't gonna spoil much, but I suggest some music to listen to. Besides that, enjoy.**

The next day, the next fight was announced. Team BRAS was to fight team CHRM at midday, so they had the morning to prepare or rest. Their Aura was already back to full strength, so Alex and Raiko went off to change into their armour while Sam and Bill sat in the almost empty cafeteria. Besides the pair, there was another two teams in the room. Bill sighed and put his spoon down on the table, Sam glanced up from his own cereal.

"Am I a bad person?" Bill asked in a quiet voice, his eyes closed.

"Depends on who you ask." Sam answered returning to eating, Bill opened his eyes and looked at Sam.

"Then I'm asking you." He said and Sam chuckled.

"I guess you're alright." He answered. "Just like everyone else I know." Sam stated and Bill ran a hand through his hair.

"But the way I'm treated, it's like I'm a villain." Bill murmured, Sam looked up again. "I just did what I thought was right, I didn't think that'd mean I would be a new target."

"Well... from everyone else's perspective, you disobeyed a major rule, which had severe punishment." Sam responded, Bill groaned and put his head in his hands.

"I did it for us, to give is the chance to get revenge." Bill argued and Sam shrugged.

"You still stood against the Link's word." Sam stated and Bill looked at him, betrayal in his eyes.

"But for the greater good!" He said and Sam shook his head.

"Standing against the Link wasn't what we were taught-" Suddenly Bill slammed his fist onto the table.

"There's a point in your life, where you ask yourself if following orders is what a soldier, a _good_ soldier does. I already did, I answered that question with action." Bill snarled, Sam narrowed his eyes.

"You are sprouting madness, Bill." Sam said coldly, Bill chuckled.

"Only the mad know the truth." He responded and Sam shook his head in disappointment.

"You answer your own question, Bill. Just remember that there's always someone to debate that answer." Sam stated and stood up, grabbing his bowl and dropping it off at the dish rack. Bill sat alone at his table, staring at his now soggy cereal.

"I don't think you're a bad person." A voice spoke up from behind Bill, causing him to turn around. The speaker was a student in a Haven uniform, a large fluffy red tail waved behind her back. She looked vaguely familiar, then Bill smiled as he realised who it was. It was the faunus girl from ages ago, when he stopped some Atlas type from striking her.

"I remember you, have you been hassled by that guy?" Bill asked and the girl shook her head, giggling quietly at the concern.

"No, no. When I found my team, I told them what happened and well..." The girl trailed off, then extended her hand. "I'm Poppy, Poppy Vix." Bill smiled warmly and took her hand.

"Bill Iuvenis." Bill introduced himself, his face went pale but he shrugged it off. Poppy noticed.

"Are you alright?" She asked and looked into Bill's eyes, her amber eyes staring into his green ones.

"Yeah, yeah. Just remembered something, but I'm sure it'll be fine." He said and waved a hand through the air. "Which team are you with?" He asked and Poppy smiled.

"Team PERL, from Haven. I'm the leader." She said the last part with pride, Bill chuckled at her pose.

"I'm leader of BRAS, we came from Haven too." He stated and Poppy's eyes widened.

"Really? Oh wait." She said when Bill opened his arms and revealed his uniform, Poppy sighed. "Probably should've realised that, because of the... you know, uniform." She chuckled awkwardly, Bill laughed.

"Its fine, it happens to everyone." Bill said and Poppy giggled, a new friendship forming before their very eyes.

* * *

"So Raiko, we gonna use glory at the start?" Alex asked as he sat down on a bench outside of Beacon, near the landing pads. Raiko remained standing and shook his head.

 **"Not this round, we should mix it up."** Raiko signed and Alex grunted in agreement.

"Got it, I haven't used the guillotine for a while." He chuckled and Raiko nodded, then Alex frowned. "You noticed how all the teachers seem to be avoiding us?" Raiko looked around, trying to spot any teachers or Professors and found none.

 **"Indeed."** Raiko signed and Alex hummed.

"Guess either they know our plan, or just know that we're dangerous." Alex stated and Raiko shrugged.

 **"Probably, though unless they have an extremely large amount of evidence, then we're just another team of students."** Raiko responded, then felt a tap on his shoulder. The blind boy turned and saw a man with snakish eyes in a grey vest and black pants, his face straight.

"Ave, a message from Captain Glare." The Auxiliary greeted and gave a piece of paper to Raiko, then turned and started to jog towards the Bulkheads. Alex watched him go then looked to Raiko.

"Guess it's important." He grunted, Raiko nodded and read through the letter.

 _Ave Raiko_

 _We intercepted Atlas communications and have discovered that another small fleet of ships and troops are in route to Vale, along with that our scouts and the Radioman have found a large force of Grimm forming in Mountain Glenn and in the forests nearby. I request that we send for the Triarii platoon, the Centurion force should be able to push back these new threats._

 _Captain Glare_

 _P.S Perhaps you could use your new accomplice to assist in the transportation?_

Raiko clicked his tongue and folded the letter. He looked at Alex, then moved his gaze around the trees. His eyes landed on a black bird, a raven.

 **"Wait by the landing platform, Alex."** Raiko signed, his eyes still on the bird. Alex let out a grunt and stood up, lumbering off towards the aircraft. Raiko and the raven waited for the teen to leave earshot before either moved, it was the bird who moved first by transforming into the familiar masked woman that Raiko had discussed business with.

"Good morning, Raven." Raiko greeted and the woman chuckled, pulling her helmet off.

"Let's get to business, I ain't getting paid for chat right?" Raven asked with a sly smile, Raiko just nodded.

"I need you to bring a platoon from Regnum Aes to Vale." Raiko stated and Raven just raised an eyebrow.

"So you're using me as a taxi? Besides, I have no clue were this Regnum Aes even is." Raven scoffed and Raiko blinked then nodded, suddenly he stepped forwards and held his hand out.

"Better show you then?" He asked and the woman narrowed her red eyes, before gripping the boy's hand. Immediately she was bombarded by visions of an island, buildings made of stone and countless soldiers lined up in the distance. Raven yanked her hand back will a gasp, then glared at Raiko.

"The hell was that?!" She snapped and Raiko smiled.

"Your objective, when you arrive tomorrow morning show the big guy this." Raiko pulled out the letter he was reading and handed it to her, adding a gold coin to it. "That is both your payment, and a bit of evidence to give to him. When you find him, tell him, 'The Link is unchained'. Remember to tell him that, or he and the others will kill you." Raiko stated then smiled. "Just don't forget, then you'll be fine."

"Thanks." Raven sarcastically said and snatched the letter, then she turned back into her bird form and flew away. Raiko turned around with a smile and spotted Alex approaching.

"Come on, the Bullhead is here."

* * *

"Gooooood mourning Remnant! We have the third of the doubles fights starting in just a moment, between team CHRM from Atlas and team BRAS from Haven!" Professor Port said loudly, Oobleck took over.

"Yes, these two teams have sparked interest from a lot of people here. The strategy of CHRM is impressive..."

"...and the strength of BRAS is intimidating!" Port finished with a laugh. "This will be a hard battle for both sides."

The voice of the two Professors echoed in the locker room, the pair from BRAS sitting and waiting for the doors to open. Alex was slowly pulling a bar of stone up Thundering Brass, his helmet resting next to him. Raiko was standing right by the door, his head lowered. The pair had discussed their plan of attack and were now about to put it into effect.

"From team BRAS, representing Haven, are Alex and Raiko!" Oobleck introduced, Alex threw the sharpening stone away and pulled his helm on. Then jogged out of the room, nodding at Raiko who slowly began walking out. Alex skidded to a stop halfway across the arena floor and grabbed the second notch of his greatsword with his shielded hand, then pumped it upwards and let out a loud cheer. The crowd roared with the teen who continued to move his sword up and down, before slamming it down onto the metal floor and dragging it back before hefting it around and resting it on his shoulder. He waited for Raiko to reach him, so Port took the chance to let his thoughts of the upcoming back out.

"Oh ho ho! A show of courage from Alex to start off, most entertaining. But he'll need more than a few tricks to win this battle." Professor Port stated and Doctor Oobleck nodded.

"Raiko's style of fighting with be useless against range, so Alex will be forced to take the attacks on his own." Oobleck said at mach three, Alex chuckled under his helmet.

"If only they knew." He muttered as Raiko stood next to him and raised his banner.

"Now from team CHRM and Atlas, are Colt Iron and Mags Clover!" Oobleck shouted excitedly, the doors on the far side of the arena opened and two forms emerged from the wall.

"They're at an advantage here, or perhaps a disadvantage. Their weapons are completely ranged, so it will force both members of BRAS to move and close the distance." Professor Port boomed, Alex turned to Raiko and exchanged an unseen glance. Finally the two members of CHRM stood before the pair, their attire not too casual or too military.

Colt Iron was in front of Mags, his hair cut short and his eyes narrowed. His clothes were a red shirt, grey cargo pants that were a bit baggy and boots. On his hands were a pair of fingerless gloves, around his waist was a belt and three holsters and on his forehead was a pair of sunglasses. In the two holsters on the front of his legs were a pair of revolvers, though if they were detailed it was hard to see besides the grips. In the holster on his side was another handgun, even harder to see detail.

Mags Clover stood to the left of Colt, a grin on her face and her hair over her eyes. She wore a green tanktop with a white mantle around her shoulders, along with a belt of grenades going across her body. Along with black pants and white sneakers, she had a grenade launcher in her hands. The launcher was reminiscent of an old fashioned M79, from Alex's memory, but had the picture of a four leaf clover on its stock. Mags placed her hand on her hip and rested the grenade launcher on her shoulder.

"Hello, metal man." Mags greeted Alex, who chuckled. "Oh, what's so funny?"

"Taunts." Alex answered, Colt flashed a grin.

"I doubt it'll matter, we're gonna win this." He stated cockily, flicking his glasses down. Alex gripped the lowest handle on his greatsword and held it across his body, Mags readied her launcher by flicking it open and dropping a red grenade down it. The arena floor around them descended and emerged as a large, shallow lake behind BRAS and an empty field behind CRHM.

"Looks like our combatants are rearing to go!" Port laughed. "Then let's begin the countdown! Three!"

"Two!" Oobleck chirped.

"One!" Port said and paused, most likely for dramatic effect.

"Fight!" The pair shouted and the crowd cheered, anticipation at an all time high. Mags aimed her launcher and Colt flicked two revolvers out of their holsters, immediately they fired and hailed the two knights. Alex stepped in front of Raiko and blocked the grenade from Mags, but was hit by the twelve bullets from Colt in the head. Alex grunted and jerked his head back, allowing Mags and Colt to reload with blinding speed.

Alex took another bombardment and let out a growl, suddenly he leapt forwards and swung his blade at the pair. Mags was hit in her ribs and was thrown back, sliding along the grassy field. Colt seemed surprised but shot at Alex with pinpoint accuracy, pelting both him and his Aura. Alex raised his sword and smashed it against Colt's crossed arms, sending the boy skidding.

"Catch!" A cheerful voice shouted and Alex saw Mags jump over Colt and blast him in the face with a grenade, causing him to stumble back in confusion. Colt dashed forwards and ran up Alex's chest, kicking him in the head as he flipped away. Alex growled and lowered his guard. Both Colt and Mags paused in confusion, unfortunately giving Alex the chance to spring forwards and grab Colt in a bearhug. "Colt!" Mags screamed as Colt let out a cry, his Aura levels dropping harshly to yellow. Alex was forced to release Colt when the boy shoved both revolvers into his sides and fired, allowing the Atlas boy to kick himself away.

"Target the other one, I'll handle this guy." Colt ordered and circled around Alex, pelting him with shots. Alex heard the order and ran at Mags, his sword held on his shoulder and his shield at his side. The girl smiled and turned her launcher to Alex, the faint yellow colour of her launcher registering in his mind quickly. Soon he saw a yellow and sparking canister flying into his face, his eyes widened behind his helmet.

The grenade hit his visor and crackled, exploding and sending arcs of energy across and through Alex's armour. That meant it went through him. Alex screamed out in pain, his hands dropping Thundering Brass to scratch at his helmet. The crowd watched in shock as the boy lit up like a fire, his armour conducting his painful screams. Alex tore his helmet off and threw it to the side, then collapsed to a knee.

"Oh ho oh! That was a bright idea by Mags!" Port cheered, though the girl was staring with a gaping mouth at the downed boy.

"That attack was brutal, but effective." Oobleck commented, watching the group of students with worry.

"Um, are you alright?" Mags shouted hesitantly and took a step towards Alex, but Colt stopped her.

"His Aura is full." He murmured and nodded at the holographic screen, showing that the knight was now at completion full Aura. Slowly, the first signs of Alex moving was spotted through his chest moving with heavy breathing. The sky seemed to darken as the crowd watched in awe as the boy rose to his feet, dragging his discarded greatsword up onto his shoulder. Alex looked up into the sky with a massive smile on his face, the first droplets of rain splashed against his face.

"You fools." He laughed and crouched, pulling Thundering Brass down to his knees. The twin leapt into the air and pumped his sword high into the air, lightning striking its blade and Alex. He seemed to hover for a moment then dropped back down to the arena floor, but didn't even hit the ground before charging the pair from Atlas with his shield raised to cover his head.

"Move it!" Colt barked and rolled to the side of Alex, who skidded along the arena floor and onto the field. Colt stole a glance at Raiko, who seemed closer than before, then returned to Alex. "Hit him again!"

"What?!" Mags shouted at Colt, her eyes wide in disbelief. Alex rushed towards her, once again with his shield raised. The girl shot at the boy with a lightning Dust canister, which halted him. The boy shook his head and let out a bark of laughter, before grabbing Thundering Brass with both hands and raising it high.

"Right back at you!" He laughed and slammed the sword down, sending water up and a spear of lightning down upon Mags. Her Aura flashed and was dropped to yellow, Mags looked at Alex with newfound fear. Her gaze was locked on his feet, and at how they were floating a foot off the arena floor.

"He can float?!" She asked and jumped to the side as Alex steamed towards her, but was caught by a wide swing from his sword. Colt stepped forwards to help his teammate, but felt something land on his shoulder. Raiko pulled Colt back and tossed him away, but the boy managed to regain his balance quickly. Colt watched as Raiko assumed a defensive stance, blocking Mags and Alex from Colt.

"Alright then, buddy." Colt shouted and holstered his twin revolvers, slowly moving his hand to the gun on his hip. "You've passed the Judge and Jury, so face the Executioner!" He bellowed and pulled the pistol out. The handcannon was a massive, but beautiful, revolver. Colt shot once and the sound was deafening, so was the sound of the slug slamming into Raiko's Aura. Raiko actually staggered and took a moment to steady himself.

Raiko suddenly threw Lasting Glory up and caught it in a reverse grip before pulling his arm back and throwing the banner at Colt, who was stunned for a second at the strange attack. Colt was hit in the chest by the makeshift javelin and was thrown into the red Aura, knocking him out of the fight and consciousness. Raiko jogged over and picked his banner up again and turned to see Alex spinning over a grenade from Mags.

"Come here, Princess." He grunted and lashed out, grabbing her face with his shielded arm. Mags punched Alex but was unable to stop him from raising her up and slamming her body down. Mags' Aura went into the red, ending the match.

"Once again, BRAS shows us their skills and might against their foes!" Professor Port boomed as Alex dropped to the ground and picked his helmet up, pulling it back on.

"This means that team CHRM is out of the competition, and BRAS moves into the finals." Oobleck added, watching the two brass knights walk back to their locker room as the sky cleared and shone brightly upon their path.

"Join us soon for the fight against..." Port's voice was zoned out by Raiko, who smirked under his helmet at the thought of tomorrow's battles.

* * *

I was at peace. I moved my hands to my face, admiring the sunny glow to them. My face was smiling, which was understandable as the view and atmosphere was amazing. The trees, with red leaves and gentle waves, the grass was soft, and the sun that shone in the meadow. The sounds of animals were comforting, as no other sounds interrupted her peace.

Then heavy footsteps started to approach my rock, the place I had chosen to sit on. I looked up and over my shoulder, gasping quietly. It was a towering knight. His armour was a dim golden colour, as if it was out in the sun and bleached, but warped and skeletal. I could see the knight's chest and ribs moving, like the armour was his skin. Then I raised my gaze to the knight's helmet. It's surface was dented, scratched and charred in places, especially around the top. My eyes locked on the hideous grin that was stretched across the helmet's face, then on the hand that approached me.

I warched it near with fear, but a sense of curiosity overcame the fear. The towering knight's gauntlet was as equally changed as his armour, from presumably smooth gold to dented and curved brass. The hand was massive compared to mine, so when it went over my head I closed my eyes out of reaction.

"Shh." A soft sound softly soothed my worries, then a gentle pat on my head. I opened my eyes and looked up at the knight, whose hand was gently petting me. I giggled and the knight raised his hand, kneeling to my eye level and lowering his head. I somehow understood the gesture, so I moved my hands to grasp the helmet. Slowly I pulled the charred helmet off, exposing the knight's face...

* * *

Blake opened her eyes slowly, quite annoyed that her pleasant dream was interrupted. However, she could find nothing that would've woken her. She silently slipped out of her bed and gazed out of the window, out into the silent night. Blake thought she spotted something waving, like a large cloak, but just summed it up to being too sleepy. So the faunus returned to her bed, resuming her sleep with pleasant dreams. Unfortunately she won't return to her most recent one, but perhaps it would become a reality?

 **Ah, that's number three. One more, then you get a whole new gift. I can't think of much to write in this note, so I'll just end it off here... tricked again lads. Bill's last name is young in latin, was gonna be sharp but I thought of something else. This is gonna be the first time for a few chapters that a fellow from Regnum Aes reveals their last name, Bill did it because well... he knows he's already dead, so he's forgetting the order and trying to have a happy end. That sounded dark, ah well. Fortunately you get to read on, unfortunately I have to write it. Enjoy my anguish, kidding of course. Cheers.**


	15. Team BRAS: Beginning of the End

**Sorry to those who I told I was writing five chapters, I just couldn't think of anything to put in the fourth, so I mashed them together into this one! The end of the school arc you could say, so with that I give you... The Beginning of the End. Enjoy.**

Raiko was silent, motionless and stoic as he rode on the Bullhead. It was the day, this was the day. The day where Vale would fall, then rise again, just like Regnum Aes all those decades ago. He didn't know his opponent, but he did know that witch would change it to someone who would be a challenge, or meant a lot in the eyes of the public. He had the last fight of the day, just two fights after that blond's breakdown and attack on Mercury. Raiko knew it was Emerald, her damned semblance, now the crowds were worried.

Raiko was equally worried for his friends. Bill ordered Alex to go with a little girl, to assist her in the plan, whichever one that was. Sam was told to follow Bill, an order that wouldn't be followed. Now Cinder was plotting to kill a Maiden, a bloodly Maiden. Raiko knew the importance of their power, he would not allow the witch to take it for herself. Suddenly a hand landed on Raiko's armoured shoulder, he looked up into the eyes of a citizen.

"Bullhead's landed, we gotta go, friend." He said and walked out, Raiko picked up his banner and stood up. His body was rigid as he marched to the spectators platforms, his eyes locked on the spinning profiles that dominated the Aura screens.

"For our final fight, to end off today, we have quite the spectacle!" Professor Port boomed, his voice clearly showing his joy. "Wouldn't you say, Professor?"

"Doctor." Oobleck responded. "But yes, our next contestants have quite the following. One has the admiration of thousands, the other has the curiosity of thousands."

"Let's see who our fighters are, shall we?" Port asked and the screens slowed their spinning, the one of the left stopped on Raiko. The one on the right stopped on...

Pyrrha Nikos.

Raiko swore under his helmet as the crowd roared with cheers.

"Oh ho ho! This will indeed be the most interesting fight yet!" Port stated, twirling his great moustache.

"Yes, join us in ten minutes to witness the fight between Raiko of team BRAS and Pyrrha Nikos of team JNPR." Oobleck said and took a long sip of his thermos. Raiko moved down the stairs to the locker room, his thoughts reorganising themselves. When he reached the room, he paused. Standing there was Pyrrha Nikos herself, though she looked like she was in deep thought. Raiko moved forwards and coughed, causing the redhead to jump and turn.

"Oh! You must be Raiko." She said with a smile, forced. "I, uh.. wanted to speak with you, before the battle."

"About?" Raiko asked, his voice soft. Pyrrha blinked in surprise, but continued.

"I just... wanted to say good luck." Pyrrha said and raised his hand, Raiko grasped it and shook.

"Same to you, Nikos." He said with a nod, the girl returned it and walked past Raiko and up the stairs. Raiko stood next to the door, his banner planted firmly on the ground. Now, only the game of waiting was played.

* * *

"Move it you maggots!" Captain Glare roared at his platoon, who were rushing to take everything down and onto the Vultures. "In five minutes we need to be in the air!"

"Come on! Heave!" Conor barked as he pulled on the ropes which wrapped around a pile of cargo, the others next to him pulliing hard. Scar pushed past the line of soldiers and locked down the ropes, slamming his fist onto it and waving at the crowd.

"Get up here and push!" He barked and three soldiers ran forwards, including Lieutenant Brutus. They moved the crates towards the landing pads, the rest of the line quickly moved to assist other soldiers nearby in hauling gear.

"Move yah bunch of pansies! I am not a patient man at the moment!" Glare bellowed and pushed an Auxiliary towards the landing zones. "Any man who is free, move to the landing zone and line up!" While the Predators were packing up, the Pathfinders were already lined up.

"My brothers! We stand together on this day for many things. For revenge, for glory, for the Link, but I stand here for you! I am you, and you are me! We are all one within the world!" Captain Crimson cried as he paced before one of the many airships. "Out here, Regnum Aes has been forgotten by all. We will remind them why we are to be remembered, why we were the best for Renmant!" Crimson raised a fist and his platoon cheered, raising their own.

Felix and many others laughed like maniacs, their blood pumping and mixing with adrenaline. The Pathfinders raised their flamethrowers with warcries, Auxiliaries wildly fist pumped and the Legionnaires slammed fists onto their chest.

"My brothers! Listen here, and listen well! When we enter Vale, when we enter the homes of our enemies, we will destroy only the huntsmen and their corrupt governments!" Crimson barked and walked towards a massive tower shield and flamer. "We will burn away those traitors and become the new guardians of those people, we will turn them against the others and we will become the best for Renmant once again!" Crimson strapped on his shield and hauled his flamethrower up. "We are Regnum Aes, we are might!"

"We are glory!" His platoon roared at him, then filled the airships behind him. Crimson spotted the Centurion that had take his platoon as its home, standing back. Slowly it twirled its weapon to point up, then sunk into the ground. Crimson roared with mad laughter.

"The Triarii!" He bellowed and threw his shield on his back before leaping onto the side of one of the Hawks, his platoon bellowing.

* * *

"It is our pleasure to introduce our very own Pyrrha Nikos, from Beacon!" Port announced and the crowds thundered with cries and applause. "She needs no further introduction."

"Her opponent is Raiko, hailing from Haven!" Oobleck cried as the door opened, Raiko waited a second before moving through. His banner was held by his left hand, not raised but held at his hip. The crowd continued to deafen Raiko, whose eyes were locked on the Spartan that approached. Raiko's breaths seemed to echo with many more, the sounds slowly becoming one. "His presence alone is more than enough for curiosity, but I doubt that this young man will go down easily." Doctor Oobleck finished as the pair stood before each other.

Pyrrha's hands shook slightly, her eyes staring at nothing. Raiko knew that something was wrong, but he wouldn't let it stop what happens next. The centre platform rose into the air, the out of bounds now restricted to the small platform. Suddenly the speakers crackled for a moment, causing some of the crowd to grimace in pain at the sound.

"Hello? Hello hellooo?" The voice of a cheerful voice replaced Professor Port and Doctor Oobleck's. "Oh wow, packed crowd here, eh? Anyways, I'm just popping in to introduce our little friend Raiko here. Now, he's one character that doesn't take trash. Like most of you here, he was excited to be here. However, unlike you, he is far more different than you'd think. Anyhow, I gotta bolt, my own listeners are missing out on my stories." The Radioman's voice laughed, then the speakers crakcled again.

"Um, alright. Our contestants are ready for battle it seems, so let's count down." Professor Port said with a jolly laugh. "Five."

"Four." Pyrrha blinked and looked up, confused before realising where she was.

"Three." Raiko pulled his banner up, but not high above his had, and planted it to his left. Pyrrha pulled his weapons out, her spear Milò and shield Akouo

"Two." Raiko raised his fists and Pyrrha crouched.

"One, and begin!" The pair of teachers announced. Immediately Pyrrha launched forwards. Raiko pulled his fist back and lunged forwards, letting out a loud grunt. Pyrrha raised her shield and blocked the hit, but was sent flying. Raiko thundered forwards only to be hit twice in the chest, he caught the third poke and pulled the spear out of Pyrrha's hands.

The girl looked surprised then frowned when Raiko tossed it back to her, then walked forwards. She switched her spear into its rifle form, taking pot shots at the brass knight. Raiko ignored the shots and jumped at her, drop kicking thin air as she stepped aside. Raiko skidded and twisted on his heel, pushing off and tackling the redhead. Pyrrha had the air knocked out of her as Raiko slammed her into the platform, then smashed a fist into her gut and stood back.

Raiko waited for his opponent to get up, still with both fists raised. Pyrrha got to her feet and watched carefully as Raiko stepped forwards, then quickly spun down and swung her spear at his legs. The spear managed to unbalance Raiko, but nothing more, so Pyrrha immediately pulled it back and jumped away from the leg that Raiko was pulling back. Raiko lowered his leg and cautiously moved forwards an inch, Pyrrha flinched.

Raiko let out a sudden loud grunt and stepped back, then leapt forwards with his fist raised. Pyrrha blocked the hit, but couldn't block the knee flying under her guard. The redhead grunted in pain and shoved Raiko back, huffing sightly. Raiko felt something wrong and turned to the stands behind him, locking onto a pair of red eyes staring at him. Raiko pointee a finger at the girl and shook his head, then returned to combat. Raiko ran at Pyrrha and uppercutted her shield, sending it flying high into the air. The boy then raised pulled his other arm back to smash into the redhead's face, only for it to glow black and fly past.

"Semblance?" He murmured as Pyrrha slashed at his exposed body with her spear-turned-sword, then backhanded her into the air and stepped back. The crowd watched curiously as the brass knight stood back once again, watching his opponent rise to her feet. Pyrrha stood up and shook her head, locking her gaze on the frozen Raiko. Suddenly Raiko hunched over, his hands shaking.

Raiko then reared back and roared, his body bursting into flames. Pyrrha was horrified as she watched her opponent collapse to a knee, then fall silent. The crowd was equally scared of the sudden, unseen attack on the boy. Slowly, Raiko rose to his full height. Embers and faint trails of orange started to swim through the air, wrapping around Raiko's form. The brass armour that Raiko wore slowly started to glow with heat, as parts of it started to drip off the boy. His leggings melted off, leaving only shin guards and chainmail. His chestplace seemed to collapse on itself, morphing the lower part and hugging against his torso, creating a rib cage. His chest also seemed to reshape into ribs, along with the fiery debris creating a burning mantle around his shoulders.

Raiko's helmet suddenly disintegrated and exposed the stoic face of the boy, his eyes now revealing their purple glare to Pyrrha. His face was slowly covered by hunks of melted brass, still glowing hot white. They somehow become solid within seconds, revealing a skeletal like helmet. Suddenly the ring that was wrapped around the top of the helmet erupted with flames, creating a burning and warped crowd. Slowly, the faceplate of the helmet started to glow. The shapes of teeth formed and clashed against one another on the visor, then slammed together and formed a grin... a hideous and evil grin.

The Link had arrived. Raiko slowly grew in size, towering over Pyrrha with intimidating silence. The crowd were conflicted between fear and awe at the sight of the even taller Raiko, whose presence felt both like chains and freedom. Raiko reached over his shoulder and tore the sword from his back, revealing only a hilt. Quickly, the Link twisted the hilt and pulled it high above his head then plunged it deep into his gut. Pyrrha was still in shocked silence as she watched Raiko yank the sword out, its previously useless hilt now accompanied by a large, coiled and flaming blade.

Raiko turned and stared at the crowds, his form flickering from the amount of fire and heat he was generating.

"I... am the Link." He spoke, loud and clear, to the entire colosseum. "My ancestors once allied themselves with your kingdoms, but you abandoned us... now we have returned, to save you." Raiko's words confused the world, then the speakers crackled to life.

"This is the Radioman, bad news everyone, there's a fuck ton of Grimm on their way here. I have reports than a fleet of small ships have entered Vale, and the Atlas botsin the kingdom are going nuts. I'm only going to say this once, do not leave your homes. Do not leave your family. Do not leave this colosseum. The Abandoned are here to help, sit tight." The Raidoman's voice was soothing and calm, rubbing off onto the crowds. Suddenly a massive Nevermore landed on the top of the arena, screeching.

"Oh god!" A citizen screamed.

"We're going to die!" Another cried, but both were proved wrong when the beast was suddenly blasted in the side and disappeared over the edge. Raiko turned and walked past Pyrrha, who stumbled away from the hulking man. The Link leapt over the side of the arena and walked onto the landing platforms, immediately spotting Bill and Sam rushing towards him.

"Raiko! The Abandoned are here, but I thought we were killing the huntsmen?" Bill asked as Raiko stomped past, now standing just under his armpits.

"Change of plans, Captain." Raiko stated as a Vulture and two Hawks flew past, chasing down a large Nevermore.

"I thought that we were slaughtering those bastards?!" He snapped and Raiko stopped, staring out and down at Vale. The city was in chaos, fires everywhere, gunfire flashing, explosions everywhere.

"We do what the Link commands, Bill." Sam said coldly, staring at Bill through his visor.

"Raiko commanded you, but never told me anything." Bill sneered at Sam, then stood next to Raiko. "What is the fucking plan?" He demanded, Raiko looked down and turned to Bill.

"Betrayal." Raiko said simply, Bill looked confused. Then he jerked back, gasping. Bill looked down at his chest, reaching up and grasping the coiled blade. Raiko pulled Bill over the edge and held him there, his brass grin staring down into the eyes of Bill. "Goodbye, Captain." He said quietly and lowered the blade, letting Bill slip off and over the edge, falling down towards Vale. The Link turned to Sam. "Come then, let's greet the troops."

"Yes sir." Sam said and nodded, his grin heard in his words. The Link and Sam stepped off the edge of the pad, hundreds of eyes watching them fall. Fortunately, only the stubborn would die that afternoon, leaving most alive. Today, the Abandoned would be remembered. Today, the betrayal long ago would be avenged. Today, the Beginning of the End had just started.

 **Whoo, that was fun... not. Honestly, I didn't like writing this chapter, but I'm gonna enjoy the next few. I hope you enjoy these four chapters, if not well I can't say much except damn. Also, to my friends, both of which bothered me immensely... here you fucking go, now let my sleep. Cheers.**


	16. The Breach: Part 1

**First I would like to thank Bassman11 for his review, I can tell you mate that I appreciate the support. For this chapter, we jump from person to person. From the Abandoned, to the hunters, to Oz and others, we'll be jumping around them through to the next chapter. So enjoy this longer chapter.**

Ruby was at a loss of words. She thought that she would be watching another fight, between two students and cheer a bunch for Pyrrha. Then Raiko turned huge and into that... thing from her dreams, said he was 'the Link' then said that he was here to rescue them. A few seconds after, some guy over the speakers said that there was a horde of Grimm coming and to stay inside and that some group called the Abandoned were were to save them. Then that towering guy climbed over the arena wall and walked outside.

"Ruby!" Yang shook her sister, who blinked and looked around.

"Wha..?" She looked at her sister's worried face.

"Ruby, come on, wake up!" Yang shook her again.

"I'm here, I'm awake!" Ruby said and Yang knelt down and looked into her eyes.

"Are you ok?" She asked, it was then that Ruby saw the tears in her sister's eyes.

"Yeah, I'm alright. But why are you crying?" Ruby asked and Yang frowned, touching her cheek and feeling tears.

"I wasn't... never mind, but you were crying too just a moment ago." Yang said and Ruby frowned.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked in a quiet voice, turning her gaze around the crowd.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune screamed as he jumped onto the arena, sprinting towards the frozen girl. He ignored the banner still planted on the centre platform and grabbed Pyrrha's shoulders. The redhead was embraced by the blond boy, who tightly hugged the girl.

"J-Jaune?" Pyrrha stammered after a moment, then blushed. "Jaune?" The blond looked into the girl's eyes, his own widening.

"Sorry!" He shouted and Pyrrha chuckled weakly, before looking at the standard that Raiko had left behind. The fabric waved gently, its image of a flaming ring glowing brightly. Suddenly another voice spoke from next to the pair.

"What are we going to do?" They turned and saw that it was Andre Payne, leader of PUMA. He gestured around them. "We can't leave these guys to quote, 'save us'. I say we head to Beacon, grab our weapons and fight the Grimm ourselves." He squeakily said, another hunter stepped forwards.

"I agree, we need to sort ourselves out and get out there." The girl said, her almost white blond hair telling them that it was Arslan Altan from ABRN. "Only problem is transport." It was then that the dapper teen from PUMA and General Ironwood walked towards them.

"I can solve that." The General stated and raised a scroll to his ear. "We need transportation from the colosseum to Beacon, immediately." The other voice grunted in acknowledgment, then the General pulled his phone down and looked around at the huntsmen still seated. "All huntsmen and huntresses come down into the arena, I have to tell you the next course of action!" He shouted, setting the crowds moving.

"Come on, team, let's get down there!" Ruby cheered and jumped over the side of the arena edge, followed by her own team and two others.

"CHRM! Let's move!" Colt Iron barked and followed after Ruby, NDGO's Nebula called her own team into action. It didn't take long for about ten teams to form around Ironwood, who prayed that what he was about to do was the right thing.

"You may be thinking that what we are doing is stupid, since we have heard that this Abandoned group are helping. What I am going to tell you is that these men are evil, worse than Grimm or any living creature on Remnant. I am telling you is that these men are killers, and are hellbent on killing huntsmen like yourselves. Unfortunately, we are the only ones capable of stopping this invasion of Grimm and the Abandoned, so we must fight. We must fight for the freedom of every man, woman and child in this kingdom. We must succeed or these traitors will kill everything we hold dear, so go. Go and retrieve your weapons and defend Vale!" The General roared and pointed to the far entrance. The hunters around him cheered and ran, hearing the sounds of Bullheads boosting their newfound courage.

A team remained behind however, its orange haired member looking nervous. The General looked down at Penny with sad eyes, then motioned to the closer entrance, and the personal airship awaiting their arrival.

* * *

Felix laughed harshly as he kicked a Beowolf's side and slammed a knife through its back, black blood spurting out and dissolving in the warm air. The shark turned and saw a crew of Pathfinders moving down the street ahead, burning away the brunt of the invasion. Felix heard a growl on his left and smiled, turning with open arms.

"Hello Poppet." He greeted and tackled the Grimm wolf, tearing its neck out with furious bites. The Auxiliary couldn't taste anything, so it was a win in the sense of madness and badass. The Legionnaire next to him slashed off the paw of an Ursa and shoulder barged it into a pillar of flames, then he turned and caught a smaller Grimm by the throat and squeezed.

"We got Nevermores!" A Pathfinder shouted from the line, causing Felix and five others to look up into the cloudy sky. They spotted four of the large Grimm swooping overhead and those with weapons aimed, firing in short bursts. The avian beasts fell and smashed into tops of buildings, cheers echoed up and down the streets.

Near the centre of Vale, the platoons of the Predators and the Grenadiers marched towards the first of their targets. The kingdom counsel of Vale, the house of the most traitorous men known to Regnum Aes. The Captains Glare and Foxtrot were stone faced, but grins grew as they spotted the building. But before any orders could be barked out, the sounds of Bullheads filled the air.

"Fucking hunters!" Foxtrot spat and pointed into the sky, at the small fleet of airships flying towards Beacon. "Men, mark targets and fire at will!" He ordered and his platoon aimed launchers galore at the helpless ships, but Captain Glare but his hand up.

"Hold it." He said and Foxtrot blinked.

"What?"

"They are heading for weapons, makes better targets... and if the population see their 'saviours' attacked by hunters, it'll help our nest phase."

"...understood, hold fire men." Foxtrot barked hesitantly, his platoon grumbled but obliged. They watched the fleet pass overhead before resuming their march, their heavy plated armour mixing with their marching stomps.

* * *

"Those guys looked like they were gonna fire at us!" Dove shouted, Cardin tried to hide his own fear behind his usual attitude.

"Shut up, Dove." He grunted and looked over at the other team next to them, something like Coffee, or more specifically at the rabbit girl who had a blank stare. For once, he had no reason to bully her, though at the time even if he did it wouldn't end well. So he decided to try and make amends, or at least act like a nicer person. "Hey, Velvet, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." The girl snapped and Cardin sighed, guess it wasn't the right time. His question did spark curiosity in the two teams though.

"What, turning over a new leaf? Trying to be nice for once?" Russel snorted and Cardin clenched his fists, glaring at the floor.

"Come on, Cardin, why the change now?" Sky asked and Cardin closed his eyes.

"I thought you hated-" Dove started and Cardin snapped, standing up and turning on them.

"I'M SCARED OKAY!" Cardin roared at Dove and pointed at finger at the rear door of the airship. "Out there are people who are apparently ready to kill us, so I want to be remembered as a good guy. Obviously not gonna happen, but I want to change!" Cardin stated, fear ruling his voice. The transport was silent, the four teams staring at Cardin with wide eyes. Cardin himself just returned to his seat, holding his head in his hands, the breakdown of the bully completely enthralling the airship.

"I believe any person can change, no matter how bad." Ruby stated and Cardin let out a small chuckle.

"Sure, thanks." He murmured, then the sound of the engines slowing down caught their attention.

"Looks like we're here, let's go!" Yang said and the side doors opened, revealing a horrible sight. Their school was covered by Grimm, White Fang terrorists and the Abandoned forces, and they were all having a free for all. Grimm attacking the Abandoned, the Abandoned slashing at the White Fang and the White Fang being harassed by the Grimm. To top it all off, there were Atlesian Knights firing at everything. Fortunately, one among the stunned group took charge.

"Come on, before we are dragged into their fighting." Pyrrha said and rushed towards the main building of Beacon, her footsteps followed by CVFY, RWBY, CRDL and JNPR. They made it halfway before a loud shout echoed in the air, coming from Sky. The boy collapsed and reached over his back, towards the tomahawk stuck deep in his armour.

"Nice catch." A voice said further behind them, everyone but the rest of CRDL turned and saw a squad of brass knights behind them. The Legionnaire in front stepped forwards and gestured around the school. "Come back for weapons? Trying to stop us?"

"Yeah, and we will!" Ruby shouted and Devrok chuckled deeply with his squad. The Legionnaire pulled his greatsword from off his back and held it on his shoulder.

"I doubt that, little red." He stated and started towards them, before stopping suddenly. "Halt!" He shouted and the squad stopped, confused. Devrok jerked his head to the side. "You're lucky you have an ally with you, next time we won't be so merciful." Devrok spat and lead his squad to a nearby firefight, between White Fang, Atlesian Knights and Abandoned soldiers. The teams were puzzled but ignored the strange event to assist in helping Sky to the school, shoving the doors aside and stopping in the lobby. Two other teams joined them, CHRM and PUMA.

"We gotta get him to the infirmary!" Cardin said, but Yang stepped forwards.

"We need weapons." She stated and Cardin growled, standing up.

"To what, die? If that axe got through Sky's damned Aura, then their weapons will fucking kill you!" Cardin snapped, Andre stepped forwards with his arms crossed.

"Buddy, I don't think that we should waste time here, I'm sure you lot can get him to the infirmary and back-" Suddenly Cardin surged forwards and smashed a fist into Andre's face, immediately Umber pushed his cane into Cardin's chest and shoved him back.

"Stop!" Ruby shouted when Cardin and Russel stepped up. "We aren't supposed to be fighting each other, it's the Grimm and those guys who are our enemy!" She stated and Cardin chuckled dryly, helping Sky to his feet and supporting him.

"Then go." He spat and disappeared around the corner, leaving only five teams to retrieve their weapons. Passing another few on the way back through the halls, noticeably FNKI and BRNZ. When they reached the lobby again they paused.

"We gotta split up." Colt said, both Ruby and Andre nodded.

"I'll lead my team into Vale, try and push them out." Andre said with a grin, Coco stepped next to him.

"I'll come too."

"That leaves us as the school's last defenders." Ren stated, Nora looked cheerful.

"That means more legs to break!" She chirped, her words seemed to actually be a possibility.

"Whatever happens, if you get overrun. Retreat into the forests, I say we meet up at the old temple." Colt stated, gaining weird looks from the teams. "Hey, it's better to live another day then die in a one sided war." He explained, getting only more looks.

"Ok, let's go." Andre said and rushed out with Coco, both leaders leading their teams to the landed Bullheads, leaving the rest to run out and prepare for combat. Unfortunately, in the next few moments, most if not all of the hunters were seperate to complete their own objectives. Such as stopping a rouge Atlesian battleship.

* * *

Roman Torchwick was having fun, quite a lot actually. Not only had his faithful sidekick gotten him out of jail and an airship, but also a virus to turn Atlas' toys against them. Neo stood nearby in the control room with a smirk, watching the countless Grimm and fires popping up everywhere. Alex stood on the far side, opposite Neo, his arms crossed and visor up.

"Would you look at that! Another Atlas toy down!" Roman laughed as he fired his warship's guns at another, its hull burst open with explosions and the ship veered off and towards a forest nearby. Neo clapped and Alex grunted, Torchwick looked over his shoulder at Alex for a moment. "Would it pain you to have some fun?" He asked sassily, Alex chuckled and looked at the terrorist.

"I prefer close quarters, not blasting from a distance with a stolen, ten tonne warship." He stated and returned to viewing the one sided battle, or at least one of them. "Though the explosions are nice."

"Yeah, yeah. Weirdo." Roman muttered and turned back to the carnage, blinking at the sight of something suddenly exploding. As he watched, two more airships caught fire and veered towards the ground, smashing through buildings. "Huh." He said and then shrugged, returning to button pressing. Neo and Alex stood next to each other silently, and quite awkwardly. The girl looked up at the armoured teen and tilted her head, tapping out a sentence on her scroll. She tapped his arm and showed him her scroll, which he read out in a low murmur.

"What's wrong? Well I'm up here, not down there with my brothers." Alex grunted and Neo frowned, typing again. "It'd be easier if you could use sign language." Alex stated and Neo paused, looking up at him with a look of surprise.

 **"You know sign?"** She signed after putting her scroll away, Alex nodded.

"Yeah, I know a few people who are either mute or deaf."

 **"Interesting."** She signed, then a loud bang echoed around the room. Torchwick turned and growled, pointing to the door.

"Find out what's going on up top." He said and turned back, Neo and Alex left to traverse the battleship. They found the ladder to the outside of the airship and pushed open the hatch, walking out into breakneck winds. Alex's armour seemed to magnetise and keep him ground, while Neo just casually walked around the tower and spotted the noise maker.

"Ruby?" Alex shouted and Ruby turned, spotting both Neo and Alex. Neo took the chance to snap a photo of the girl and winked at her, Alex merely reached for his greatsword. "You shouldn't have come here, Ruby!" He barked and Ruby frowned at him.

"Why are you working with them? Why are you doing this?" She asked and gestured around her, towards the ground. Alex let out a cruel laugh, then stepped forwards.

"Because of your ancestors, we were abandoned once, now we won't let it happen to Vale!" He shouted as another entered into view.

"Little Red! Isn't this just a wonderful surprise?" Roman Torchwick asked sarcastically as he readied his cane, his face in a scowl. He looked at Alex and Neo before grinning at Ruby. "Now, let's have some fun." He walked forwards with a smirk and raised his cane to fire, only to stop. Roman felt fingers wrap around his throat, then lift him into the air... then he felt nothing but air. Roman screamed as he fell, thrown off by Alex in a surprising betrayal, though not as surprising if you think about it.

Neo's face was frozen in shock, her hand outstretched and eyes white. Then she spun and swung her parasol, its blade extending fast enough that not even Alex could ready his Aura. Alex felt the blade tear through his cheek and grunted, pushed forwards and shoving the girl back. Neo let out a silent warcry and charged, only to be stopped when a brass finger pushed forwards and hit a button on her weapon's handle.

Neo let out a shocked gasp, then was pulled off the airship by the wind. Her pink and white form floating away, Ruby watched in horror. Alex turned back and glared at Ruby, a bloody scar on his face and evil snarl. "No quarter, no survivors." He said to himself and charged across the airship, towards the silver eyed girl.

* * *

Fox kicked at the doors of the Bullhead, trying to break them open. The airship was hit by a rocket or something and hit a building, now it was slowly smoking.

"Come on!" Fox shouted and kicked again, finally the door burst off and skidded along the office floor. He stumbled out and was followed by Coco, Velvet and Yats.

"God, that hurts." Coco groaned and rubbed her neck, then looked around. "Looks like we've been separated, we should find the others." Coco readied her handbag and walked forwards, then stopped when her ears caught something. "That sounds like..."

"It appears that huntsmen have begun to attack the forces sent to help Vale, an unprovoked action by all means." The Radioman's voice was faint, almost as if a radio was buried somewhere nearby. "The Atlesian forces have also began to attack the Abandoned, why do these groups not want their help? They need it, but they seem determined to undermine everything." The Radioman continued with an angry tone.

"What? But the General said that they are murderers." Coco stammered, Yats placed a hand to his chin.

"Something isn't right." He said and frowned. "Where did these Abandoned come from?"

"I think that Link guy has something to do with it." Coco stated and Velvet pouted.

"Raiko is innocent." Velvet murmured and Coco sighed.

"Velvet, Raiko turned into a massive knight that, from my angle, caused this entire thing." Coco explained but the rabbit faunus shook her head.

"He is innocent." She stated and walked towards the massive gaping hole behind the Bullhead, crouching behind the wall and gesturing to move up. The rest of the team hid behind the wall as Velvet slowly peered out, her eyes widening at the scene below. A Pathfinder squad was standing around a woman and a child, aiming outwards and unleashing waves of flames across a small horde of Grimm. Among the squad was an Auxiliary tending to the child's arm, which was wrapped in a bandage. Velvet pulled back and looked at her team. "They're... helping a family down there." She said, both confused and slightly happy.

"What?" Fox asked and moved over, taking a look then looking back. "This is wrong, they wouldn't do this." He murmured, then forwned. "We need to move, we need to find PUMA now." He stated and the team nodded, moving through the office building and onto the roof.

"Look!" Yats pointed a finger towards a large cloud of smoke and Dust, coming from a street. The sounds of explosions got them moving along the rooftops, their weapons ready.

"Hold the line, boys!" Andre screamed as he slashed down at an Ursa, his head covered with sweat. "We gotta find CFVY and get to a better position to defend!" He barked and cut down another Beowolf. The team were surrounding their downed Bullhead, its cockpit burning.

"Unless you're blind, we're surrounded!" Codie yelled back as he jabbed his pike at an Ursa, which Scott quickly leapt upon and stabbed.

"Shut it!" Andre hissed and extended his broadsword into a spear, thrusting it into the eye of another Grimm. Scott and Codie worked together to take down the Ursa Major while Umber deflected the swipes of a Deathstalker, his mask cracked along the edge.

"Scott!" Umber bellowed and the boy turned, lopping a grenade at the beast. The Grimm shrieked and Umber bashed his cane into its face, before switching it to a rapier and stabbing through its face.

"Got more!" Andre shouted as a pack of Beowolves thundered towards them, until a massive hammer tore the Alpha's head clean off. Five Legionnaires and a few Auxiliaries appeared from a side alley and cut down the Grimm with ease, before turning their attention to PUMA.

"Huntsmen! You know fucking drill guys!" Conor roared with laughter, the squad cheered and sprinted at the teens. Andre let out a cry and charged, Codie with him. Andre slashed and parried a longsword from the Auxiliary, but was bashed in the face by his shield. The leader of PUMA screamed when the blade was thrusted down his throat, ignoring blood, flesh and Aura. Codie was frozen with fear as two Legionnaires with large axes charged, he stumbled and ran but only got a foot when the first reached him and cut his leg off.

"Fuck! No no no!" Codie screamed as the second raised his axe and, like an execution, cut through the boy's neck. Scott and Umber slowly moved back from the squad, who approached with murderous glee.

"We need to retreat." Umber hissed and Scott nodded, but unfortunately the Abandoned charged and halted any further thoughts. A Legionnaire ran forwards and thrust a sword at Umber, who pushed the sword aside and shoved him back. The Auxiliary leapt at Scott, blocking the dagger and swinging his sword. Conor marched towards the pair and his squad moved back, already knowing what was about to happen. The Legionnaire swung again but Umber moved, bashing his cane against the soldier's head. Scott struggled against the Auxiliary's shield bashes, sudden attacks and shoves.

"I've waited too fucking long for a bloody kill." Conor muttered darkly and readied Hammer Head, its surface drawing red energy from around him. The Legionnaire spotted Conor coming and dashed back, unfortunately the Auxiliary didn't and slashed at Scott. Umber saw Conor stop and raise his hammer, high above his head, and grin wildly. "UNLEASHING FUCKING HELL!" He roared and swung his hammer down, causing a massive shockwave to tear through the ground.

"Conor, you fucking fool!" The Auxiliary screamed and sprinted towards the remaining squad, only for the ground beneath him to disappear into a darkened hole. Conor let out a maniacal laugh and raised his hands, leaving Hammer Head to be swallowed by the falling pavement.

"I will become a martyr!" Conor bellowed as the asphalt beneath him crumbled and devoured him, leaving Umber to look around wildly.

"Oh son of a-" He murmured before falling into the darkness, swallowed by an act of sheer madness. The remaining soldiers exchanged glances before jogging away, towards their platoon Captains and the burning counsel. Team CFVY were silent and frozen in shock, their eyes still stuck on the gaping hole in the earth.

* * *

Raiko slowly rose to his feet, his armoured form rising from the platform he had jumped onto. The distance was nothing for his powers, just a hop from Vale to Beacon. The Link raised his gaze and looked around, spotting a number of his men scattered taking on Grimm, bots and White Fang grunts. He raised his blade, the Wrought Vanguard, to the sky with a thunderous warcry.

"LEGIO AETERNA!" The Link bellowed, his presence and voice amplified across the open space. The Legionnaires and Auxiliaries raised their weapons, ignoring their battles temporarily.

"AETERNA VICTRIX!" They roared as one, fighting with even more vigour and might. Raiko marched out of the crater he had made and towards the school, or more specifically where he had seen flashes of red. His walk was halted by an Atlas Knight, everything with a soul or though making way for the Link, unfortunately these metal men had neither. Raiko pulled Vanguard back and crouched, before dashing forwards and tearing the robot apart with a thrust of his sword.

"Cowards." Raiko rumbled as he neared the ruined building of the cafeteria, littered with White Fang and surprisingly a Legionnaire corpse. The Link stomped towards the destroyed wall and saw a very familiar faunus standing among his men's corpses, among them was the former White Fang Lieutenant Scar who was armless. Before Raiko could step closer, another person rushed in and locked blades with the Bull, halting their execution of a downed man.

"Ah, hello my darling." Adam purred and leaned close to Blake's face, his own twisting into a snarl. "I told you I would come for you!"

"Adam, stop this!" Blake begged and pushed the Bull back, only to lock blades with the enraged faunus.

"No! You left me! You abandoned your people!" Raiko growled loudly and stomped towards the pair, who turned and spotted the Link approaching. "A friend of yours, Blake? Don't worry, I'll cut him down quickly." Adam hissed and stupidly marked himself for death as he slapped Blake down and walked towards Raiko. "So who-"

"You dare use that word against her?" Raiko asked coldly, his mantle and crown burning hotter. Adam chose not to run like a sane person and held his ground, raising his katana.

"I doubt a human like-" He tried to say but Raiko interrupted by a flash of his crown, then the Link stepped forwards and pulled his fist way back. Adam sheathed his sword and his clothes glowed, Raiko suddenly launched forwards with his fist leading. Adam was smashed in the face and thrown back, Raiko's arm rippling with the force of the sudden stop. The Bull groaned as his mask cracked and fell apart, Blake snapped her gaze from the downed man to the Link, who used his other arm to pushed his shoulder in. Did he just dislocate his arm?

"The Abandoned will kill you if you remain, return to your home." Raiko stated and turned, walking back the way he came while silently giving his respects to the bodies. Blake took his advice and sprinted away, the eyes of a blond haired girl on her. Yang growled and spotted Raiko, her eyes turning red. Yang started to jog towards Raiko, gaining speed, then with a shout jumped into the air and pulled her fist back.

Raiko spun around and backhanded Yang out of the air with a grunt, landed then advanced upon her. The blond was dazed but still got up, shaking her head.

"We trusted you!" The girl stated, raising her fists as Raio towered above her.

"So did we." The Link coldly responded and Yang's eyes turned to their regular colour, but only for a moment, then she swung her fist forwards. Raiko caught the punch and twisted, forcing the girl down to her knees. Yang was soon looking directly upwards, into the grin of the Link. Raiko then slammed a knee into the girl's face and walked away, leaving Yang to unconsciousness as he approached the Headmaster's tower.

* * *

Raven appeared from her portal, calm and collected. Her eyes widened behind her mask as she saw the Abandoned everywhere, burning away Grimm and saving the civilians outside. Loud footsteps reminded her of her company, Raven turned and saw a large metal boot step out of the portal.

The boot belonged to a dark metal mech suit, which was covered with plates of dark metal and trims of brass. The shoulders and arms of the suit were massive, with a platform on top big enough for two men to stand on. Then the helmeted head emerged and looked around, its design like those of the Centurions, though with actual life within. The mech raised his hand and pulled his helmet off, revealing Legate Vulcan.

"Well well well, finally in Vale at last. I can actually understand why these lot couldn't help us." The rough gravelly voice of Vulcan rumbled, his brown buzz cut and beard worked in tandem with his sharp eyes to give out a look of danger. Raven merely nodded as the tall man walked through the streets, looking around. Then she was reminded of her extended company, as the first two lines of Centurions marched out of her red portal.

"I'm assuming that you don't need me to stay?" Raven asked and Vulcan chuckled deeply, turning and staring down at her.

"I'm afraid you'll be accompanying me through Vale. You may have delivered the Link's words, but you now work for him. Can't have you running off in our greatest moment, can we?" Vulcan asked and Raven internally swore as she shook her head, the Legate smiled. "Very good, now hop up." Vulcan leaned his mech down and lowered his right arm, which was heavily plated and had a few grey stripes going down it. Raven quickly understood and clambered up the mech, standing tall on the shoulder pad. Vulcan turned to his Centurions and put his helmet back on, before reaching behind his mech and pulling a large box out. "Triarii, forward march! Look to the skies and cut down any airborne forces!" He barked out, immediately the rapiers held in each of the Centurions' hands were quickly swiped to the side before they moved in sync, marching will slow steps.

Except for a pair of different looking Centurions, who bore shorter crests and a grey trim on their armour. They ran forwards and climbed up the mech with surprising speed, flipping onto the platform and standing at attention. Vulcan let out a deep laugh as he pressed a button on the box, causing it to fall away and reveal a massive minigun. It had tree barrels, not the usual singles though, but normal six barrel, that's eighteen barrels to fire a hellstorm. There was also a pair of ammunition belts that entered the gun and looped under his left arm, connecting to a large pack made of even stronger material.

This was Vulcan's toy, the Ut Legio, the Legion Might, which he happily spun up then stopped.

"It's time for a hunt, eh lass?" Vulcan asked Raven, who rolled her eyes as the mech lurched with each step. The Centurions next to her didn't seem to be unbalanced, their stances still strong. On their backs, Raven could see a pair of pipes, rocket launchers. This group might pay well, but even she would have trouble getting through this kind of ordinance. Soon she was travelling through Vale, on the back of a jolly man in a mech with a minigun, next to a pair of silent soldiers. What next? A dragon?

Suddenly a roar echoed through the town, her head turned and she let out a sigh

"God damnit."

 **A couple things to talk about first up, so yeah, listen up. Firstly, I aim to kill off most of my characters and leave RWBY's till after a few of my own have died, an example being Bill, team PUMA and Conor, then Adam. It's just something I decided to do, basically saving you lot the pain of going through the two deaths that shook the fans after Volume 3. Next is what's going to happen with the story... which is gonna be talked about next chapter. Lastly is an explanation of the Abandoned's goal of coming here.**

 **Hearts and Minds, turning Vale against the other kingdoms until the Abandoned conquer Remnant, enforcing actual equality and becoming nicer communists. The Link, Raiko, wants the best for the innocent, so he sees himself as their saviour... in a messed up but understandable kind of way.**

 **Well that's all she wrote, next up is our favourite scene. Cheers.**


	17. The Breach: Part 2

**Um, okay this is an actual warning for the chapter ahead. There is gonna be a bit of detail that will go into a few scenes, detail that is gonna be a whole lot more descriptive from the story so far. I'm warning you, whenever Raiko's involved, it gets gory. But not gory enough to be like a horror story, at least I don't think so. Anyways, lets see Regnum Aes change fate, eh?**

 **20 minutes earlier...**

Ozpin stared at the arrow in Amber's pod with wide eyes, then he spun around and spotted their owner. Cinder Fall, another exchange student from Haven, seems like a lot of problems have come from Haven lately. The woman lowered her bow with a smirk on her face, Ozpin heard the other pod door fly open and Pyrrha Nikos fall out.

"Ms Nikos, please return outside and find your friends." Ozpin said calmly, reversing the grip on his cane to one of a sword.

"But-"

"Now." Ozpin interrupted, his eyes unmoving from the woman in the red dress. Pyrrha quickly retrieved her weapons and jogged past Cinder, who still wore a smirk. Ozpin suddenly had an urge to ask a question, it confused him but he nevertheless obliged with this urge. "Why did you ally yourself with the Banished?" He asked and Cinder blinked, then laughed coldly.

"I was never an ally with those maniacs, only used a naive boy from them." Cinder answered slyly.

"Unfortunately, it appears that you were also used." Ozpin stated, that got a scowl from Cinder.

"What do you mean?" She hissed, her eyes narrowed. Ozpin merely hummed.

"The Link has his fingers in everything, changing and creating new fates. One could even say that this little attempt to steal the Maiden's power was rigged from the start." Ozpin said casually, then dashed forwards with his cane raised, Cinder responded by raising her bow and firing. The Headmaster seemed to blur around them as he slammed into the woman, thrusting his cane into her gut.

Cinder growled and seperated her bow into two curved swords, then flew forwards with glowing eyes. The pair clashed in vibrant reds and greens, blurs smashing into each other before flinging themselves back and approaching again. Unknown to the pair however, was a shape slowly growing out of the ground, its rapier and cloak seemingly frozen in time. Then the Centurion raised its helmet and locked onto the two powerful duelists. The rapier was then introduced to the pair by a quick and sudden appearance next to Cinder's face mere inches away, when it was drawn back their eyes went with it.

"What? Who are you?" Cinder snarled and the Centurion stepped forwards with slow steps, its entire body shuddering as if it was all just hovering in the shape of a body. Ozpin himself seemed to step back in fear at the sight of the knight, however Cinder merely raised her bow and shot an arrow at the Centurion. The arrow slammed through the helmet of the Centurion, sending the top half of its body flailing backwards and bending at an unnatural angle. Slowly, the torso was brought back to its original pose, with the legs still planted.

"A Centurion." Ozpin whispered as the knight quickly brought his rapier back and sent it flying forwards, his entire arm stretching out to thrust at the witch. Cinder blocked the attack and dashed forwards, preparing to slash at the Centurion's legs, but the knight suddenly moved to the side. Ozpin debated with the thought of assisting Cinder, but the choice was made when the Centurion turned its upper body and thrusted at him.

Now the two enemies were united through battle, temporarily of course. The Centurion's body bent forwards when Cinder slashed at his neck, but quickly spun around and sliced a long cut through her dress and stomach. The knight turned its torso to Ozpin and flicked out his rapier, locking it with the Headmaster's cane. The Centurion suddenly shoved the cane away and turned to stop the arrow flying at his back, then returned to Ozpin with a quick poke to the legs.

Cinder growled and tapped into her newfound Maiden powers entirely, creating a fire ball in her palm. The action was immediately halted by the Centurion who turned and thrust the rapier through the ball of flame, freezing it and causing to fall onto the floor. Cinder went wide eyed as the Centurion pulled back and locked blades with the Headmaster, then smiled deviously. She once again summoned a burning ball in her hand and as expected the Centurion turned his body around, but then she moved past the rapier's blade and slashed down at the gauntlet.

Her attack was slightly successful, as it caused the Centurion to drop his weapon, but it was grasped by the hand again with a quick swipe. The Centurion slammed his rapier into the witch's foot, holding it there as the freezing air formed a hunk of ice. Then the knight turned once again and advanced upon the old Headmaster. But Ozpin didn't hold back, he charged and sent a flurry of japs with his cane into the chest and helmet of the knight, causing it to bend far back and grate against its lower body.

Ozpin's attack actually dented the chest piece of the knight, which caused him to step back and point his rapier at the floor. As the Centurion disappeared into the ground, a sharp pain found itself in Ozpin's chest. The man gasped as the second arrow went through him, his eyes stuck on the smirking woman in red.

 **Present time...**

Cinder walked out of the elevator and into the office of Headmaster Ozpin, or at lest the previous Headmaster now. Her grin faded when she saw, through the massive window in the office, the Grimm Dragon still flying at a distance. Salem had said the beast would come right away, something must be keeping it back. She scowled as she saw flashed of orange appearing over the dragon's body, those damned Banished. They were making her job a hell of a lot more difficult, then the thought that she would have to get through the entire battalion struck her.

"Oh, it doesn't matter. I will get the remaining power and get out, I doubt even these soldiers could stop me." She sneered as she watched the smoke columns slowly replacing the pillars of fire, how time had passed. Cinder turned around and took a seat on the large seat behind the Headmaster's desk, spinning around a few times. She chuckled to herself as she stopped, looking back out the window. Suddenly the ding of the elevator caught her attention. Cinder slowly turned in the chair with a smirk on her face, eyes meeting with those of the girl who had the last sliver of her power.

"Hello, Pyrrha Nikos." Cinder greeted, her smile obviously false to the redhead. Pyrrha raised her shield and dashed forwards, Cinder leapt up and met her with two slashes of her twin blades.

* * *

Ruby jumped back from Alex as he swung Thundering Brass, then fired a few shots at the armoured teen. Unfortunately it did nothing to hinder him as he stomped towards her with his sword raised, the boy slammed his sword down and narrowly missed Ruby.

"Why are you doing this?" Ruby shouted out again, but the question was ignored as Alex jumped towards her and threw a haymaker with his shielded arm, missing again. Alex suddenly kicked out and caught Ruby as she dash around his side, sending her skidding across the airship's hull. Alex crouched before jumping into the air with his greatsword in a reverse grip, ready to pierce Ruby through the body. Once again, Alex missed and dug Thundering Brass deep into the Atlesian warship. He jerked back when Ruby actually flew directly at him and kicked him back, though it left her winded. "Ow." She whispered and got up, watching Alex chuckle to himself.

Alex suddenly looked to the east and Ruby followed his gaze, promptly going even more pale than before. The Grimm Dragon was flying directly at them, and it looked pretty pissed. The Grimm passed overhead and shook the entire airship, knocking Ruby down and unbalancing Alex.

"Sam, you wanted that dragon, go get it." Alex hissed and looked at Ruby, yanking his sword from the deck. He stumbled back and raised it again, though with a crack of thunder accompanying it. Then Alex slowly turned and pointed his sword at the dragon, which was now heading for the Beacon tower. Another crack of thunder and a spear of lightning smashed into the wing of the beast, sending it spiralling away, back towards the mountain it came from.

"What?" Ruby asked and Alex looked at her. "But wasn't your plan to kill innocents?" She asked and Alex recoiled, out of anger and shock.

"No, we are here to save this kingdom." Alex grunted and stood tall, the control tower behind him suddenly erupting into an inferno, an explosive planted before leaving its interior. "We will not allow your people to abandon them, just like did with us." Alex stated and swung his shielded arm across his body, the flames now creating what appeared to be a great grin in the air. "You are standing in the way of peace, Ruby, and I cannot allow that." He said, unconsciously acknowledging some cliche, and stomped towards Ruby.

"Then why attack us?" Ruby asked, her question halted him. "We've done nothing wrong, it was the huntsmen from ages ago! You attacking us doesn't make sense!" She shouted and Alex sighed, merely shaking his head as he advanced. Then the airship lurched and Ruby was thrown to the side, Alex was also knocked off his feet. Ruby used Crescent Rose to hold onto the side, looking along the side of the ship to the engines, now burning.

Ruby decided that this was her chance to run and return to her team, so she pulled her scythe out of the hull and fell, shooting to slow her descent. Leaving Alex to watch her go, with a glare but also a smirk.

* * *

Raiko walked across the grounds of Beacon, Sam at his side with a grin underneath his helm. The pair spotted another squad of Abandoned soldiers running towards the east part of the school, the second to go to that part of Beacon, no doubt that there was a few skilled hunters there. However, the Link had more important matters.

"You still want that dragon, Sam?" Raiko asked and Sam laughed loudly.

"Fuck yes." He answered and Raiko chuckled, then their new target roared above them. The Grimm Dragon swooped around the tower with pillars of fire along its spine and wings. Sam raised Blitz Fang to the dragon, but Raiko gently lowered the weapon with a hand.

"No, you need an accurate shot. Do not waste it here." Raiko stated and pointed at the Headmaster's tower, but before they could move a shout stopped them.

"Oi!" A huntsman shouts from behind them, how they knew it was a hunter was from the fact that no soldier would shout that at them. The pair turned and saw that it was Colt Iron and his teammate Mags Clover, both were covered with scrapes and cuts. Raiko turned slowly and swung his blade, the Wrought Vanguard, around in a flourish of flame. Sam remained silent as he took a step away from the Link, his halberd ready to intervene. "You fuckers... you say you're saving us, but you're KILLING US!" Colt screamed at Raiko, who tilted his head down.

"Yes." Raiko said and stood there, Colt blinked then howled in anger. He fired his revolvers with blinding speed, doing little to the Aura of the Link. Raiko's crown flashed white for a moment before returning to a vibrant orange, then he advanced. Mags joined in with Colt and fired a lightning grenade at the Link, only for the explosive to fizzle out near the heat of the Link. Raiko raised his sword, running it over the back of his other gauntlet and holding it back. Then he shot forwards and skewered Mags through her gut, blood gushed from her mouth as he slammed into her body. Raiko hefted the girl up into the air, blood pouring from around the Vanguard.

"M-Mags!" Colt stammered and watched as the Link turned and looked at him, then spun around with his sword outwards. Colt couldn't react as the body of his teammate slammed into him and knocked him down, her blood covering his face and body. Colt gagged and shoved the body over, vomit mixing with tears, embers and blood. Then a large hand grabbed the back of his head, slowly Raiko pulled his head back till Colt was staring up into the blood soaked grin. The Link aimed his blade down and thrusted it through the boy's screaming mouth, before pulling it out and turning to Sam.

"I did give them the chance to stay in the arena." Raiko stated and Sam nodded, seemingly not effected by the sight of his friend literally throwing a corpse at someone.

"To the tower?" Sam asked casually and Raiko nodded, walking past and through the doors to the lobby of Beacon. Then the man stopped, turned and walked out.

"Take the elevator up, I've got something to check." Raiko said and crouched, jumping up the tower. Sam just chuckled and walked towards the elevator doors, pressing the call button and whistling a tune as he waited.

* * *

Cinder smiled darkly as she melted Pyrrha's sword, knocking the girl off her back. She turned and shot a fire ball at the girl, who blocked it and peered over her shield. Cinder fired another two flaming balls at the girl, who ducked and blocked them, then charged at the witch. Cinder merely waved a hand and a large flaming arc flew at the side of Pyrrha, knocking her down and skidding across the office floor.

"Oh you poor girl, Ozpin played you, can't you tell?" Cinder taunted as Pyrrha got up, using her semblance to pull a number of gears from the roof and throw at the smirking woman. "He lied to you, lied to all of you!" She sneered as she melted the gears and cogs, before firing a larger fireball at Pyrrha.

"Shut it!" The redhead yelled and blocked the ball, skidding close to the massive window behind what used to be the large desk of the Headmaster.

"Stupid girl, you'll never stop me!" Cinder spat and created a bow from the shards of ruin around her, a glowing arrow forming at her fingertips. Pyrrha threw her shield as Cinder fired, but the arrow seemed to phase around the bronze shield and fly around to hit her ankles. Pyrrha dropped with a gasp, near the middle of the large room. Cinder took her sweet time to approach the girl, her smirk oozing with sadistic glee. She stepped in front of the redhead, her bow lowered. "You should've run while you could've, now you must die.

"A-at least... I fought for something greater than you!" Pyrrha spat, looking up with a small smile. Cinder narrowed her eyes and raised her bow, an arrow forming once again. Slowly Pyrrha's eyes closed, her acceptance of death dull for Cinder.

Then the window shattered, and like the coming of a god, a large figure descended towards the pair of startled woman.

"What-!" Cinder began, only to be backhanded by the large knight. The Link stood above Pyrrha, his towering form shadowing her. Then Raiko stomped towards Cinder, who was now on her feet with fury in her eyes. "You dare?!" She snapped as Raiko neared, she raised a hand and threw a large fireball at the Link. But Raiko twisted his body to the side and his hand shot out, its armoured palm burning. The flaming ball was suddenly disintegrated by a large wave of flames erupting from Raiko's hand, Cinder barely had enough time to jump to the side when Raiko appeared next to her.

Cinder snarled and moved to hit the Link, only for a burning gauntlet to catch her arm. Then Raiko twisted, snapping the bone within and forcing Cinder to scream. The Link stopped the witch's cries with a fast fist to her chest, then caught the other hand that was slowly crawling to his throat. Raiko decided to go the extra mile with this one. Slowly, the Link pulled on Cinder's unbroken left arm. She screamed and shook her body in an attempt to stop the pain, but it did nothing to faze Raiko as he grunted and turned. Cinder was send flying through the air, smashing into the far wall and sliding down. Cinder felt the blood pouring from her bloody stump of an arm, she looked up with tear filled eyes at Raiko.

Raiko clenched his fist and the arm he held exploded into a red mist, then he approached Cinder yet again. The witch rapidly shook her head and her feet tried to push her back, away from the towering knight of some hellish land. Raiko wrapped a hand around Cinder's leg and yanked her towards him, ignoring her cries and pleas. Then reached down and pulled her up, his brass fingers squeezed around her throat. Raiko stomped to the open window and shifted his grip on Cinder, shoving her out into the cold air.

"This is your fault, you should never have taken one of my own." He said calmly, before pulling the witch in and looking her in the eyes. Cinder spat a clump of blood at the grinning visor of the Link, who was once again unfazed. His crown flashed and he walked towards Pyrrha, who had watched the savagery of the Link's attacks and began to shuffle back. Raiko stopped and watched the girl, quite aware at how bloody his armour was now. "You stole a power that did not belong to you, witch, it is time for that sin to be repented." Raiko stated and looked at Cinder, who started to wriggle in the attempt of escape, unfortunately that time had passed a very long time ago.

Raiko sheathed the Wrought Vanguard and slowly moved his hand towards Cinder's face, her attempts to escape doubled. The Link's hand glowed a vibrant gold as it neared her face, then Raiko pulled back. Cinder blinked in confusion and stopped her struggles, until Raiko's hand slammed into her face. Cinder didn't scream, nor did she move, the only thing she did was silently widen her eyes. The Link released her face and looked her in the eyes, his head lowering close to her face.

"This day belongs to Regnum Aes." He whispered, leaned back, and threw the woman out of the shattered window. Raiko watched Pyrrha, counting internally for a certain time to reach the bottom of a certain tower. Pyrrha's frightened eyes suddenly went wide as her body flashed orange and yellow, then she fell back unconscious. Raiko stood in the office for another minute, merely breathing in and out. The elevator dinged and out walked Sam, who noticed the state of everything.

"Jesus, alright I don't wanna know. Now where's that dragon, I was looking forwards to a dra- Ah, there you are." Sam said as he neared the shattered window, his target was swooping around the outskirts of Vale, the Triarii doing their job fantastically. Sam twirled Blitz Fang in his hand, humming to himself then turning to Raiko. "I have a plan."

"Does it involve you throwing your halberd at a dragon from over a mile away?" Raiko asked and Sam chuckled, leaning back and shrugging.

"Yup." Sam answered and Raiko get out a sigh, but stood back.

"Go for it." He said and Sam stepped up, taking on a javelin thower stance. He held Blitz Fang in his right hand and over his shoulder, his left hand was used to give a thumbs up as a target. Sam closed an eye and pulled back.

"Catch." Sam called out and threw the halberd forwards, sending it screaming towards the beast in the sky. Blitz Fang suddenly to burst with lightning as it closed in towards the dragon, it's sparks creating what looked like a mach cone on its head. The dragon was far too distracted to even think about dodging the weapon, but if it had the time it would not matter.

The spear plunged deep into the beast's neck, sending the Grimm Dragon off course but still in the air. Then the lightning within sparked and covered the beast, burning it from within and out. The dragon reared back in the sky, roaring in pain. It tried to remain in the air, then a huge bolt of lightning smashed through its wing. Raiko stepped forwards and gently pushed Sam aside, not breaking his gaze on the struggling dragon. Finally, after another bolt of lightning, the beast began to drop towards the outlining forests. The dragon crashed with a thunderous groan, its body shuddering once then going still.

Raiko spotted two Bullheads with the White Fang symbol painted on the sides flying away, with the few who survived the slaughter. Any remaining Grimm retreated out of Vale, but even their number was small. The Atlesian robots were all silent and collapsed, their virus broken with the destruction of Roman's battleship. The clouds above the city cleared, sunlight shining down upon Remnant once again. The Amity Colosseum still hovered in the sky, but now Abandoned Vultures landed there to ferry the civilians down.

Finally, peace could be restored. Unfortunately, there will be those who fight against them, who say that they are evil. The Abandoned will show them wrong, for this was a new day... and a new start.

 **Like that the Breach is done, that Cinder beatdown wasn't as bad as I originally though but eh. Got a few things to say before leaving you to wait once more.**

 **1\. The chapters from now on are gonna change, name wise. So far I have made a list below, not gonna update it though. That'll happen in later chapters.**

 **ABND - All Abandoned forces perspectives, not just Auxiliary.**

 **HNTR - All huntsmen's perspectives.**

 **BNTY - A new perspective from a new group, tee hee. They are bounty hunters.**

 **SALM - Salem's lot, or just the main villains.**

 **Now you might ask why I'm doing this, the answer may surprise you. I want to open up the story more, give more people a chance in the spotlight. Also because I can write longer titles.**

 **2\. Waits might be longer, excuse? School, bloody school.**

 **3\. Umm, I hoped you enjoyed! Yeah, good one mate, cheers mate. Cheers.**


	18. The Breach: Finale

**Last chapter of the Breach 'Arc', enjoy. I got nothing else to say up here, sooo... yeah?**

"Halt!" The harsh voice echoed down the alleyway, then the sounds of footsteps thundered through. Six teens ran around the corner and spotted another Abandoned squad, quickly skidding and sprinting the other way. Two Legionnaires burst from the alley and were shoved aside, but quickly resumed their chase.

"Stop or we'll shoot!" Another Legionnaire shouted as they charged after the young huntsmen, who ran down another alley. Unfortunately a large Ursa roared and blocked the soldier's' path, forcing them to cut it down and jump over. It was already too late as they appeared at the other end, looking around and shaking their heads. "Damn, haven't killed anything but Grimm in this damn place." The soldier grunted and a Pathfinder put an arm around the man's shoulders.

"Hey, we'll find some more. Either in the week or when we go for the other kingdoms." He stated as the squad left, leaving the six huntsmen and huntresses to take a breather in a ruined shop nearby.

"How's everyone doing?" Ruby asked breathlessly, looking around at the other tired faces.

"Wonderful..." Weiss mumbled and wiped her forehead, looking at Ruby. "Where do we go now?"

"We should take the west road out, that'll get us out of Vale quicker." Ren put forward, putting his head above the counter they sat behind.

"We can't, these Abandoned guys are covering that place." Ruby said sadly, causing the teams to look at her. "I was falling, of course I was gonna see a bunch of people around a place." She defended, Yang raised an eyebrow.

"The west part of Vale... that's where the counsel building is, right?" She asked and got the confused stares, she just shrugged. "I ride around, I see things."

"Yes, it is." Weiss said and rubbed her face. "Why would they go there?"

"To burn your corrupt governments of course!" A cheerful voice said behind the teams, who spun and saw that it was an Auxiliary with sharp teeth, twisted into a smile. "Oh, am I interrupting?" He asked and his grin faded, a knife appearing in his hand. "Too bad, fuckers." He yelled as he vaulted over the counter, only to be hit with a quick punch by Yang. Felix snarled and swung down, lodging his knife in the wooden table. The hunters bolted before Felix could pull out another knife, leaving him to yank his weapon from the counter.

"Come on! This way!" Jaune yelled and pointed to an alleyway, directing them. The teams rushed south, through the industrial districts. They skidded to a stop when they heard roaring and gunfire, turning a corner they saw a herd of Goliaths trapped by Pathfinder flamethrowers. There were two squads of soldiers lighting the beasts up, their weapons tearing apart flesh and bone.

"Now I get why we don't have Grimm, these bastards die fast!" A Legionnaire laughed, firing a large shotgun into the head of a Goliath, dropping it instantly. The six hunters exchanged glances before moving on, passing the surprisingly intact club of a certain mobster. Yang hesitated but ran on, swearing that she saw two Abandoned soldiers outside Junior's club. They reached the edge of the district and paused, but the sounds of marching convinced them to run towards the forest nearby.

Unfortunately, they were halfway across the open field when they were spotted by an Abandoned Hawk. The airship flew overhead and hovered in front of them, the two soldiers on the sides preparing weapons.

"Attention huntsmen, surrender now and come peacefully. Any aggression will be met with immediate action, you have five seconds to comply!" The pilot said with the assistance of a loudspeaker, the pair of Legionnaires raised their rifles.

"We can't, they'll kill us!" Weiss stated, pointing at the forest. "We're just a few metres away from escaping, if we run we can make it."

"But they're in an airship, they'll catch us before we can make it two feet." Ren said sadly as the pilot began counting.

"One." The teams looked up and then back at each other, now desperate for a plan.

"What if we shoot the gunners?" Yang asked, glancing up at the soldiers hanging on the sides.

"Their Aura and armour is too strong, they'll fire before you can try." Weiss said and Yang frowned.

"Two." The pilot shouted, as Yang looked closely at the Hawk.

"What about the cockpit?" She asked quickly and Weiss looked at the glass cover.

"Looks strong but if we fire at once, we can shatter it." Weiss said after a second, looking around.

"Ok, we have a plan." Ruby stated and looked determined. "On three?" She asked, hefting her scythe up.

"Three." The teams almost turned and fired but stopped when they realised it was the pilot, they looked at Ruby and nodded.

"One, two, three!" She cried and fired with Yang, Weiss, Nora and Ren at the Hawk. The pilot raised an arm as the glass shattered, immediately the hunters sprinted towards the forest. Luckily the Hawk veered away and almost sent the gunners to the ground as the pilot got control again, spinning the airship around and looking for the teens. He caught sight of red in the treeline, then nothing.

"Bugger." He muttered and turned the Hawk around, heading back to Vale.

* * *

In the city, civilians were being ferried in the Vultures down to Vale from the floating colosseum. Many were in states of shock, panic and anger when they saw buildings collapsed and fires burning. That changed when a Beowolf charged at one of the first groups and an Auxiliary stepped forwards, firing his revolver at the beast's head. The Grimm fell and skidded to a stop at the man's boot, the soldier turned and grinned.

"Don't worry, we are here to keep you safe. Let's get you back to your homes." Vex said and lead the group of seven with a few other soldiers through the streets. They saw many Abandoned soldiers patrolling the streets, most of who gave waves to the people. Through some means, they encountered no Grimm and got the group to their homes, unfortunately there was a man whose house was currently in ruins. He angrily turned and jabbed a finger into Vex's chest.

"You lot destroyed my home!" He shouted and Vex tilted his head.

"Collateral damage to kill the invasion of Grimm, temporary shelter is being made in town centre." Vex stated but the man stubbornly remaind by his wrecked home, Vex sighed and pointed at one of the other Auxiliaries. "David, stay here and defend this man until he comes to his senses." Vex ordered bitterly, the man nodded and stood next to the angry resident. Vex lead his squad away back to the landing zone.

Then a huntress decided to leap at Vex from an alleyway. The girl raised a gun and snarled at the man's face, the squad immediately raising their weapons until Vex put a hand up.

"You killed my team!" Poppy screamed at Vex, who gently put his hands up.

"We gave you ample warning, girl." Vex said calmly, the girl frowned and slightly leaned back. "I'll do it again. You get off me, or these lads here blow your brains out." Vex stated and nodded towards the soldiers around the pair, Poppy's hand shook but still held the handgun to the Auxiliary's head. Finally she lowered the gun and stepped back, two soldiers stepped forwards and disarmed the girl and cuffed her hands. "Good thinking, girl." Vex said once he was back on his feet. "Let's go put this one with the rest."

"The rest? You captured more huntsmen?" Poppy asked and Vex chuckled, turning to look at her..

"Only a few." He stated and turned back, leading the way. They walked through the residential district to the industrial part of Vale, passing a few groups of civilians on the way, most of which spotted the huntress among them.

"Hey, hey! Why did you put handcuffs on that girl? She's a huntress!" One of the woman shouted out, one of the Legionnaires turned.

"She attacked us without provocation, so we are locking her up for a day. The stress of this attack must've gotten to her." The Legionnaire explained, then returned to his squad. He flicked his visor up and sighed. "Why do civilians have to be so curious?"

"You gotta remember we showed up out of nowhere to help these people." Vex said and the Legionnaire grunted.

"Yeah, yeah. I haven't heard a single thank you for that." He grumbled. The group marched Poppy onto a large dock and stopped at the chainlink gate, Vex walked forwards and started to talk with the soldier at the gate. The fox faunus in the middle noticed something strange, the huntsmen tied up and sat in groups. A hand landed on his shoulder and pulled her out of her thoughts and towards one such group, the Legionnaire leading her not bothering to look at the girl.

"Enjoy your new friends, hunter, until the Link was time to come down." The Legionnaire sneered and sat Poppy down, walking away and leaving her to look at her 'new friends'. If memory served her correctly, then this was team CFVY. Yats sat on his knees with closed eyes, Fox had a black eye and Coco was looking downwards, Velvet had tears running down her face.

"W-what's happening?" Popppy asked quietly and Fox looked up.

"The Abandoned are rounding up huntsmen, arresting them or killing them and putting them here." He explained bitterly as he shot a glare at an Auxiliary slowly moving through the groups. "Seems like something they'd do from the stories I've heard, at least the killing part." He spat, Yats calmly opened his eyes and turned to Fox.

"Calm down, Fox, we must keep a clear head if we want to get out of this." He said sagely, his companion snorted.

"Tell that to team BNRZ." Fox muttered and jerked his head to the left, Poppy looked and gagged. Sitting against one another were the bloodied corpses of the Shade team, as well as one other hunter left nearby to cry quietly.

"When... did you get caught?" She asked and Coco chuckled.

"We got cornered near some library after trying to find other huntsmen, we surrendered after Fox got slugged in the face." She said dryly, looking up behind Poppy. "By some guy with some mad goal." She spat at the Legionnaire.

"Our goal is to get revenge." Devrok said, kneeling down to their level. "Guess you chose the wrong side, eh?" He asked sarcastically and stood, walking away with a laugh. Poppy started to cry, the reality of fate hitting her all at once. CFVY looked away, either out of respect or something else. Suddenly there was a loud crack of noise.

"We got runners!" Another Auxiliary called out as another team of huntsmen charged towards the docks, a number of Abandoned soldiers chasing after. The team reached the edge and promptly leapt into the water, with wrists bound. The soldiers slowed and watched the teens struggle to remain afloat, then started to fire shots at their heads, a mercy killing. "Damn, we only got like four or so teams now." The Auxiliary said, the soldier next to him shrugging.

"Eh, I doubt it matters. Though I'd never expect kids to drown themselves." He stated with a shake of his head, the Auxiliary let out a sigh.

"Guess that they wanted to die on their feet, not live on their knees. Come on, gotta change that report." The faunus soldier said and the pair walked away, towards a portable radio tower.

* * *

Raiko smiled as he stood over the ashes of the burned counsel building, his grinning helmet under his arm. The Link stood with Sam and Alex at his side, who they found when they went to retrieve Blitz Fang.

"I never thought I'd see this day." Raiko muttered, watching two teams of Predators looking through the rubble for anything of use, or survivors.

"Well it's here now, and it is grand." Alex stated with a smile grin, his scar dried and prominent on his face. "Except getting cut of course, probably the only one to get injured here." He grunted, Sam threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Hey, just say you fought a tough huntsman or something." He said with a grin. "But then again, you're not the only one. I thought I saw a Centurion with a dented chestplate, could've just been my imagination though." Sam continued with a frown, then shrugged. "Maybe you are the only one. Already getting rusty?" He asked with a laugh, Alex chuckled.

"Calling me old, Sam?" Alex grunted and punched his twin's shoulder.

"Nah, yup." Sam answered and laughed. Raiko grinned and walked towards a pair of his Captains, the twins following after.

"Ave, Captain Glare. Ave, Captain Foxtrot. How is the city looking at the moment?" Raiko asked calmly, the pair saluted and reported.

"Other than a few Atlesian Knights and Paladins, as well as a handful of Grimm, we have only the hunters and citizens to worry about." Glare stated, his smile small but filled with childish glee.

"Our forces have taken both the counsel building." Foxtrot paused. "Well what's left of it, and Beacon Academy, which is in more or less one piece." Foxtrot said, his expression serious.

"Good. Get the other Captains and bring them here, I wish to continue into the next phase." Raiko ordered and the pair nodded, walking separate ways to either radio the other commanders or send messengers. The Link spotted a lone Centurion by a ruined lamppost and approached, immediately the Centurion knelt and bowed his head. "Is it done?" Raiko asked, the Centurion nodded and rose back to his feet. The knight's chest was dented and his visor scratched, the Link hummed. "Good work, with Ozpin out of the picture and that witch, we have at least a month before anyone attempts an assault." He said to himself, though the Centurion still nodded slowly.

Raiko heard a commotion and turned, spotting a growing crowd of angry and confused civilians near the front of what was the government building. He closed his purple eyes and his armour peeled away, except for his leggings. He walked towards the crowd and heard their cries.

"What the hell did you do!?"

"You lied! You said you were saving us!"

"How are we supposed to get anything done without the counsel!"

"I knew you bastards... couldn't be... trusted." The last comment trailed off as Raiko stopped in front of the crowd, the twins reappearing at his side.

"You call us liars? You ask what we did? You call us bastards? Who are the ones who stayed and forced the Grimm out?" Raiko asked and leaned forwards, over the heads of the shorter residents. "We do not want conflict, we wish to help everyone here. Unfortunately, that requires your cooperation, without it we will leave and watch you die out." The Link's words were harsh, as has his glare. The message was given and the crowd left, a moment later and Raiko sighed.

"They do ask far too many questions." Alex commented, crossing his arms. "Sheep, that's what they are."

"They did have the huntsmen around for awhile, no doubt took them some time to accept them." Sam murmured, Alex raised an eyebrow.

"That was actually kind of clever, I'm surprised." Sam have a glare and Alex smirked. "Especially coming from you." Sam threw his hands up, fed up.

"Shut it, Alex." Sam snapped and the other twin laughed.

* * *

"I THOUGHT WE LOST THEM!" Yang yelled as she vaulted over a fallen tree, a bullet flew past her ear.

"They are determined!" Ren stated as he ducked under a branch and leapt around a tree, the light of the torch disappeared before lighting him up again.

"We have to lose them!" Weiss said and used her glyphs to halt a soldier behind her, continuing to sprint through the underbrush. "Anybody got a plan?"

"Drop an Ursa on them?!" Yang offered as she appeared next to her sister.

Ruby ducked as two bullets flew past and hit a tree. "We could start a fire!" She yelled out, moments later Nora and Ren appeared next to her as they leapt over low brush.

"Good idea!" Nora said with a grin.

"Bad idea." Ren said with a worried frown. "But honestly that's all we got." With that he and Nora ran out of view.

"How about we split up?" Jaune asked from beside Yang, getting surprised looks. "W-what?" He stammered, Ruby thought for a moment.

"Ok! Jaune, you lead your team to the left while we head right!" Ruby called out, somehow Weiss appeared next to her.

"What?!" She shouted and Ruby looked at her with tired eyes, Weiss let out a groan. "Fine."

"Alright! Let's go!" Jaune cheered and jumped over team RWBY as they slid under a log, disappearing into the bush.

"Shit! Galt, take three and get those hunters!" A man shouted from behind RWBY, obviously now more than annoyed that this chase was dragging on for too long.

"Come on, come on." Ruby whispered as she veered around a suddenly approaching tree, but from the loud bang behind her the soldiers weren't so lucky, but the noise was close. Then the sounds of gunshots and yelling quietly faded away, leaving only the ragged breathing of the girls and their footsteps as noise. Behind them, a group of four soldiers stood around one knocked out one.

"God damnit, what now?" One asked, the rest shrugged.

"Better drag Gaius here back to Vale, away from this bloody forest. Place is creepy." Another commented.

"Yeah, I second that." The first stated.

"What about the huntresses?" The third asked, the first and second looked at him.

"You wanna go after them? By my guest." The first sneered, the fourth snorted.

"Hopefully they've been marked, that'll solve itself out." He grunted and the rest nodded, picking up the Pathfinder and slowly carrying him out. Leaving team RWBY to go free, or at least temporarily.

 **Next chapter is either gonna introduce a new faction, or an old friend. Depends of how much my other friends pay me, wink wink. No, but seriously, I'll just write whatever hops into my head.**


	19. HNTR: Spliting up

**Starting off with another thank you to Bassman11 for his reviews, I plan to do much with this... maybe even use the powers of resurrection. Also DrSurg909, you must be quite dedicated to watch five seasons just to understand a small story, I am flattered. Anyhow, lets see where the three girls of RWBY end up, shall we?**

After running for another five minutes, the three girls from RWBY collapsed from exhaustion. They managed to find a small clearing and crawled to the centre, looking up at the dark sky. Their chests heaved with ragged breathing, their faces sweaty and blood pumping. They remained on the forest floor for a few minutes, before sitting up and looking at each other.

"Where's Blake?" Ruby and Weiss asked in sync, looking at each other before turning to Yang. The blond was looking downwards, her eyes closed.

"That... bastard said something her, I saw her run and tried to stop Raiko. He knocked me out, when I woke up I was surrounded by Vomit Boy's team and Weiss." Yang said quietly, her fists shaking. "I could've stopped her..."

"Hey, it's alright, we'll find Blake and figure out how to take down these guys." Ruby stated, a determined look on her face. Yang smiled and nodded, Weiss huffed.

"I don't think you noticed, Ruby, but those soldiers use weapons that completely ignore Aura!" Weiss snapped, causing Ruby to flinch. "They have taken over Vale, we are all alone out here and-" She paused, frowning. "Scrolls." She stated as she pulled her own out and smirked victoriously. "Great, now all I need to do is call my father and have him pick us up." She said as she typed in a number, only for a sharp crack of static to come through, then laughter.

"Well well well, looky what we have here!" The sarcastic voice of a jolly man said from Weiss' scroll. "One of you got away, the Link ain't gonna like that." The Radioman said with an angry tone.

"Who are you!? How did you get this number?" Weiss demanded and the Radioman laughed again.

"Oh it was easy, reverse the signal imput of the CCT and piggy back off any huntsmen issued scrolls." The Radioman said nonchalantly, then barked out with laughter. "Nah, that's stupid. Anyway, I was in the area and noticed this here little guy and decided to pop in."

"Who are you." Weiss growled, the Radioman let out an exaggerated gasp.

"Oh, did I made somebody angry? To answer your question, I'm the voice of the good fight, Radioman." He answered, Yang scoffed.

"What kind of name is Radioman?" She sniggered, the scroll went silent.

"Ignoring that, I have a bit of a warning for you. If you want it." The Radioman stated in a sly voice, it was Weiss who scoffed next.

"Yeah, right. Like you'd say something to help." She sneered and the Radioman huffed.

"Fine, if you don't want it, you don't get it." With that the scroll let out another bit of static then let out a monotone buzz, no connection. Weiss blinked and her eyes widened.

"Wha- I have no signal?" She stammered, frowning and putting her scroll away. "What now?" She asked Ruby, who thought for a moment.

"We try to find a village, see if we can't find another team, then go find Blake." Ruby said and stood up, her two friends following after her into the bush.

* * *

They saw the smoke before the town, kicking them into action. Even though they were exhausted, team RWBY were huntresses and they had a duty to fulfill. They readied their weapons and ran towards the smoke, slowing when they heard rhythmic marching. They peeked from the edge of the forest to spot a column of Abandoned Pathfinders marching out of a burning village, a trio of people between them. Yang moved to rush out, but Weiss stopped her and pointed to the three prisoners.

"Are those... huntsmen?" Ruby asked as she saw their attire, more custom than the militaristic armour of the soldiers. "We should help them." Ruby stated, but Weiss shook her head.

"We can't, we have nothing that can hurt those soldiers." Weiss said sadly, watching in silence as the squad marched their prisoners out onto a road and back the way the girls had ran. "Come on, we should see if there's anybody left." She stood and quickly made her way to the village, her teammates following.

The village was destroyed, that much was more that obvious. The buildings were collapsed and on fire, trees charred black, an old truck exploded. What was strange was the lack of bodies, until they found the townhall.

"Oh my god." Yang whispered as she covered Ruby's eyes, ignoring the sounds of Weiss hurling beside her. Bodies upon bodies, all crowding in the centre of the ruin, clutching each other and hiding faces. Their bones were exposed, flesh dripped from dead skin and eyes stared with dull fear. Yang's eyes were locked on two bodies however, wrapping their arms around a smaller third. The blond pulled both of her friends out of the nightmare and felt her eyes burn with tears. Unfortunately, the world decided to throw a curveball at them yet again.

"Hey! We got more survivors!" The three girls turned and spotted a Pathfinder standing in the open, pointing at them. "I knew I saw something!" The soldier shouted and two more joined him, their flamethrowers already fired up.

"Should we capture?" One of the newcomers asked, looking at the three girls slowly backing up.

"No need for more hunters." The other stated coldly, raising his weapon. The other two nodded and leveled their flamers at the girls, who were far too exhausted and too scarred to run. The flames erupted forth and roared, ready to bite through Aura and flesh.

"Get down!" A raspy voice called and someone knocked the trio down, then leapt over the flames.

"Fuck, another one!" One of the soldiers barked and hauled his weapon up to follow the huntsman, who landed behind them and slashed forwards. Another person pulled Ruby and Yang to their feet, blond hair their visions.

"-you ok? Can you hear me?" Professor Goodwitch asked quickly, getting nods in response. A rare smile graced her face, but was replaced by a frown as she turned and swung her riding crop. The three soldiers, who had tried to bash Qrow around with their weapons, were thrown into the air. The drunken man rushed over and hugged his nieces, then pulled them away, grabbing Weiss on the way.

"We gotta go, hang on." He grumbled and ran towards another tree line of a forest, Glynda following after slamming the trio of Pathfinders into the ground. They stopped within the bush and let the girls down, helping them run away.

"Uncle Qrow, how did you find us?" Ruby asked and her grey haired uncle chuckled.

"A hunch, we saw you running and followed. Lost you for a moment but, well, the rest is history." He explained, exchanging a look with Glynda. The group stopped and took a rest, the three teens sitting down around a small creek while the pair of adults stood off to the side. While the three spoke in hushed tones, trying to forget the events just moments ago, Qrow and Glynda spoke of it.

"You saw those bodies, Qrow. We need to do what Ozpin would want and eliminate the Link-"

"We can't. If we kill that kid, then another would take his place."

"Then what do you want to do? Sit around and drink?" Glynda spat, Qrow sighed.

"We can't go against the Banished with just ourselves, we should head to another kingdom and call on one of the academies." Qrow looked at the three girls. "But we should drop these three off first, I'm sure Tai would love to see his daughters again." Qrow said softly, Glynda nodded with a small smile.

"You really care about them, don't you?" She asked and Qrow looked at her, a glare in his eyes.

"We still need to take care of Raiko." Qrow spat, his frown increasing with a snarl. "That bastard has the Fall Maidan, and Vale, under his damned fist. If we go to Haven, or Atlas, we can get the numbers to take them on."

"But their weapons are far too effective against us, they are trained to kill people." Glynda stated and Qrow growled, taking a swig from his flash.

"Then we give Jimmy a few, ask him to make more, then take the Banished out." Qrow grunted, Glynda scowled.

"You're not listening. They. Are. Trained. To. Kill. Us." She emphasised each word by hitting her palm with her fist, Qrow stepped close with a finger raised.

"And they will, if we don't act." Qrow snapped.

"Act on what?" Yang asked, causing the two hunters to turn and look at the trio of concerned girls. Qrow opened his mouth, but the world decided it really hated huntsmen right now. A massive Ursa major stomped into view, not yet spotting the group. Qrow raised a hand in the teens' direction, halting their movements. The Grimm sniffed the air and turned its gaze slowly towards them, its mouth twisting back into a snarl.

"Run." Qrow and Glynda said when the Grimm rose to its hind legs, the confused stares changed to understanding when they realised that the bone-like plates on the beast's body were far too thick to pierce through, and that the forest was too close quarters to use any weapons properly. The beast let out a roar and the group sprung into a sprint, rushing past trees and into the deeper parts of forest, towards the shoreline.

* * *

The group of five skidded to a stop near the tree line, looking behind them to check if that monstrosity of a Grimm was following after. They took yet another breather, as the Author waited yet again to throw more pain in their direction, or something. Weiss's scroll rang out with a shrill beep, startling them.

"Oh my god, who is it now?" Yang asked tiredly as Weiss looked, her face frowning.

"That Radioman." She hissed angrily, Qrow raised an eyebrow.

"Radioman? That sounds familiar." He muttered as Weiss put her scroll on speaker.

"Good evening Remnant! This interruption of your daily programming is brought to you live from Regnum Aes, kingdom of brass! Now, I understand your confusion. 'Who the hell is this guy?' Well, you don't know, my name is Radioman, good to meet you." The Radioman said cheerfully, Weiss and the two sisters frowned as Glynda raised an eyebrow and Qrow paled. "I have some bad news for all of you. The kingdom and city of Vale were attacked earlier, by hordes of Grimm and Atlesian robots. Good news is that the brave men of Regnum Aes showed up and saved the day, and will be moving in for relief efforts. Unfortunately, due to history and such, the kingdom will have its borders shut to all but merchants."

"What?" Glynda muttered in confusion.

"So, to all of the concerned people of the other kingdoms, I say this. The Abandoned are not here to harm you, they are here for your protection. Thank you all for your time, tune in at 37.0 for more!" With that the scroll let out a beep and music started playing, from Your Chemical Breakup. Weiss turned her scroll off and looked at the two huntsmen with concern.

"Well... damn." Qrow said and ran a hand through his hair. "This changes the plan a bit."

"What even is the plan?" Yang asked and Qrow shrugged.

"Doesn't matter, it's changed now." He stated and reached for his flask. "Right now we need to get you to Tai." Both Yang and Ruby blinked in confusion.

"Dad? But I thought that we were getting the other kingdoms?" Ruby asked, Qrow sipped his flask and shook his head.

"No, this is far to big for you to handle." He muttered and gestured at himself and Glynda. "We're huntsmen, you are all still in training. It's far too dangerous." Yang stepped forwards and angrily poked her uncle in the chest.

"We survived that attack, we can help." She said loudly, Qrow gently lowered her hand.

"Kid, it's already been agreed upon. You will go back home, stay low for awhile while we sort out this mess." He said firmly, looking into his niece's eyes. The sound of a faint whirring sound caught their attention, their heads turning to look out to the ocean. A single Bullhead was flying towards them, staying close to the surface of the water. "Your ride's here." He stated, turning to Glynda.

"Wait, what about me?" Weiss asked and Qrow turned, blinking.

"Go with them, don't use your scroll. If that guy could hack it, then he can find you." Qrow answered as the Bullhead slowed and turned, the side doors opening. The jolly face of Port greeted them, waving as the airship descended slightly.

"Come along now, we can't stick around forever." He said loudly, in his usual bombastic voice. The three girls exchanged glances, then hopped onto the airship, Yang and Ruby looked back at their uncle. The grey haired man gave a small wave as the doors slowly closed, then sighed when the Bullhead turned and zoomed back towards the distance island of Patch.

"Come on, we should get going before anymore Banished show up." Qrow grunted and walked towards the forest, Glynda followed with a thoughtful frown. Their walk was silent, except for the crunch of their shoes on fallen leaves and distant sounds of birdsong.

"You seem to know a lot about the Abandoned, or Banished as you call them." Glynda stated and Qrow chuckled dryly.

"Heh, Oz told me a lot, though I did my own research as well." Qrow explained, his eyes scanning for anymore Grimm or soldiers. "I don't trust them, you shouldn't either." He stated and Glynda raised an eyebrow.

"Why is that, Qrow?" She asked and the man chuckled.

"Because of their burning desire to watch huntsmen burn, it all started about a century ago, or so the books say." Qrow started with a dry voice, raspy as usual. "Apparently the kingdoms back then didn't help a certain kingdom, so the abandoned kingdom halted all communication with the outside world. Then again, there's another story that says the kingdom was far to evil for the others to support. So they forced them on their island and left them. Don't know which would be better, but you can guess which story I believe."

"Why didn't the kingdoms help the one in need?" Glynda asked and ducked under a low branch.

"Too far of a distance for ships at the time, or something like that." Qrow answered and jumped over a rotting log. "Even if they could, I doubt they would have enough man power to stop the flow of-" Qrow suddenly went quiet, crouching and putting a hand on his weapon. Glynda crouched down too, her eyes scanning the forest around them for the cause of Qrow's silence. Her answer came in the form of a familiar hulking Ursa. "Quiet, lets go around." Qrow murmured and took a slow step to the left, stepping directly on a dry stick, snapping it.

Instantly, the Grimm roaring and charged at the noise, sending both hunters to dash to the sides. Qrow spun his weapon around and extended the blade, charging in while Glynda stood and sent a large log at the beast's face. The Ursa bellowed and swung its paw at Qrow, launching him into a tree. Another log slammed into the beast's face and it growled, turning on Glynda. The Grimm lumber forwards and reared back with both paws ready to smash the woman down, but Qrow flew out of nowhere and slammed into its exposed belly. The Ursa groaned and fell back, Qrow pulled his weapon from its chest and pulled his flask out.

"Better get moving, that would've attracted attention." Glynda stated and Qrow sighed.

"Yeah, let's go." With that, the pair walked deeper into the forest, not realising that if they hopped on the Bullhead with the girls the journey would be a lot faster.

 **Sorry for the short chapter, but at least it's out. Next one is going to be with the girls on Patch, a nice and peaceful chapter... probably. Cheers for reading.**


	20. HNTR: Patchwork

**This chapter will have actually start changing up perspectives, first is team RWBY, JNPR and a certain amber eyed gal. But unfortunately these two other perspectives will be short, since this chapter is more dedicated to RWBY, sorry. This is so we don't forget about our, possibly, favourite team members... and because my mind wants to shove every idea in at once, which unfortunately can't happen. At least one of my favourites will...**

The ride to Patch was quiet, with the the three occupants lost in their thoughts. One thinking about her friend, one thinking about their enemies and one thinking of home. Ruby stared out of the window with a blank expression, her silver eyes watching the dark waves drifted below them. She turned in her seat and looked at her blond sister, who held a frown on her face. Ruby could tell that Yang wasn't happy being told that she couldn't fight, it's just who she is. Ruby looked to her right and at her friend, who nervously shifted in her seat. Weiss... Weiss was a mystery, she seems like she _fears_ going to Patch. Ruby might be her friend, but even she couldn't tell why.

Port looked on from the cockpit door as Ruby sighed and sat back, slouching in her seat, then turned around to talk with the pilot.

"How far are we from our destination, my dear man?" He asked, his usual jolly tone welcoming in the silent steel airship. The pilot turned, grinning at the Professor.

"About six, seven minutes, sir." He answered, turning back. "It's nice out here, eh?"

"Yes, very calm and peaceful." Port responded with a hum, standing next to the young man and watching the island grow larger. In the back of the Bullhead, there was a need of conversation.

"So... what's your father like?" Weiss asked hesitantly and Yang smiled.

"He's a nice guy, goofy but cares a lot about us." She answered cheerfully, Ruby nodded in agreement.

"Dad's awesome! He teaches at Signal with Uncle Qrow." Ruby chirped, Yang smiled as if remembering a funny joke.

"He taught me how to fight, actually. Well, the basics, I picked up stuff along the way." Yang put in, Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"Really? He sounds like... a really nice man." Weiss trailed off, looking downcast. Ruby was going to enquire more but the bombastic Port hopped out of the cockpit.

"We have arrived, students!" He declared as the side door opened and revealed a dimly lit landing platform, overlooking a small dock and town. The three huntresses walked out onto the platform, followed by a dull thud from the larger huntsman. The two sisters breathed deeply, exhaling with smiles.

"Home sweet home." Yang said to herself, walking towards the path down to the town. Ruby, Weiss and Port followed, walking quietly through the town. They passed a man sitting on a chair, out on the road running through the town. His posture was slouched, but his chest moved with his breathing, probably drunk.

"That's Joe." Yang pointed at the man, giggling. "He's always on that chair."

"Yup." Ruby agreed, Weiss looked concerned.

"Is he alright?" She asked.

"Yup." Yang answered, Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

"Yup." Ruby answered, the white haired girl just sighed and nodded. They made their way down the street, heading down another towards the forest. The man in the chair snorted, looking up with hazy eyes. The bearded fellow looked around before lowering his head again, snoring. The blurry figure that caught his vision just an illusion, probably.

* * *

Jaune sat in the tree watching the soldiers pass, his body sweaty and shaking from adrenaline. Ren sat in the tree opposite him, Nora in the one on Ren's left, both silently waiting as the two Legionnaires and Auxiliaries slowly walked underneath them. They had been chasing the huntsmen for an hour now, determined to get their last few kills before returning to Vale.

"Come out, come out wherever you are." One of the Auxiliaries taunted, spinning an axe around in his hand.

"Galt, we've been out here for like two hours, let's head back." One of the Legionnaires said, tired and slouching. The other shook his head.

"We are close, I know it. Besides, Gaius would never let it go." Galt growled, looking up at the trees. His eyes narrowed, thinking he saw something within, then something made a noise behind them.

"What was that?" The other Auxiliary called, aiming his rifle back the way they came. The squad spun around and raised their weapons, slowly approaching the source of the noise. Nora, Ren and Jaune also looked for the noise, fearing it could alert the soldiers to where they hid. Suddenly a tiny Beowolf hopped out from a bush and growled, the sight of a baby Grimm adorable. Then the Auxiliary shot it.

"Oh man, what the fuck?" The other Auxiliary exclaimed and shook his head, the rifleman just shrugged.

"I never got a huntsman, may as well say I got a baby Grimm." He laughed.

"Alright, you've had your fun, let's head back." Galt ordered and turned, walking back the way they came. The other three followed, their footsteps fading into the distance. Jaune sighed with relief and climbed down from his branch, landing before Ren and Nora, they then stood around the tiny corpse.

"These Abandoned guys are mad." Nora commented, for once the remaining team agreed with her.

"They are bloodthirsty." Ren spat, his eyes filled with rage.

"Hey, we should keep moving." Jaune said firmly, then a deep chuckle came from the trees. The trio spun around and saw the squad emerging from the woods, smirks on the exposed faces of the Auxiliaries.

"You should, unfortunately you have wasted the chance." Galt stated, unsheathing a long curved blade. Ren and Nora raised their weapons, but Jaune raised an arm. He looked back at them and jerked his head to the side, towards the trees beside him. Nora grinned and Ren nodded, Jaune looked back and readied his sword.

"See yah!" Jaune cheerful yelled and Nora shot a grenade at Galt, stunning him and the men behind him. Immediately JNPR sprinted into the woods, leaving a very angry squad of Abandoned soldiers. The axe wielding Auxiliary stepped forwards and leaned his head back.

"COWARDS!" He screamed, then sighed. "Let's get outta here." With that, the squad actually started back the way they came.

* * *

There was a knock at Taiyang's door, startling him from his slumber. He pulled on some pants as another few knocks echoed through the house, he scowled.

"Give me a damn minute!" He snapped loudly and walked through the living room and towards the door. "This better be good, do you have any idea-" His words caught in his throat, his eyes widened. Then man laughed happily as he reached out and wrapped his two daughters in a bear hug, his smile beaming. "I thought- I saw that Vale- I was..." Tai let the pair go and smiled. "I'm glad you're alright."

"Us too, dad." Yang said and smiled, then turned and stepped out of the way of Weiss and Port. Taiyang gave a curious glance at Weiss before looking at his old friend.

"Peter, it's been too long." He said and the jolly man laughed.

"It has, unfortunately this isn't the time for a happy reunion." Port said in a low voice, gently placing a hand on the young Schnee's shoulder. "These girls need a place to stay, you were the only one who was close." Taiyang grinned and shrugged.

"Guess I'm nothing but an orphanage?" He asked sarcastically and stood to the side, allowing the three in. Port stepped close and leaned in.

"Watch for brass, old friend." Port warned cryptically and stepped back, letting out a jolly laugh. "Good night, Tai!" Port waved and turned around, going back down the path to the town. Taiyang sighed and closed the door, turning to see his daughters drag Weiss into the living room. He chuckled to himself and walked into the room, finding the young Schnee sitting on a couch with Ruby while Yang got food from the kitchen.

"So, are you gonna introduce me to your friend?" He asked and Ruby blinked, then smacked her forehead.

"This is Weiss, she's in our team." Ruby introduced with a big grin, the white haired girl huffed.

"And heiress to the Schee Dust Company." She added, Tai's smile didn't change.

"Ah, royalty in our little town, what a surprise." He stated with a laugh, walking past and into the small kitchen. He found Yang mixing together coffee and had a plate of cookies on a tray, she smiled tiredly at her father. "You don't need coffee, Yang, get some food in you and get some sleep." Taiyang said calmly and took the three cups from the blond.

"I guess..." Yang yawned and stretched out. "I guess that's a good idea." She walked into the room with her friends, placing the tray down and watching as Ruby grabbed six with a giggle. Taiyang smiled and turned back to the kitchen, tipping the cups into the sink and leaning on it.

"My baby girls, home again." He said to himself, a small smile on his face. Then something moved outside, through the window. Tai looked up and narrowed his eyes, trying to spot what made the movement. Eventually he gave up. "Just a bird." He muttered. Tai walked into the living room to find it empty, the tray left on the table with only crumbs left. He took a glance inside one of the guest bedrooms and found the trio in the beds, sleeping peacefully. Soon he decided to slumber too, hopping back into bed and snoring within seconds.

* * *

The sound of birds tweeting filled the green meadow, the gentle brush of wind shuffling the leaves in the trees. I found myself on a familiar rock, with a book in my hand. I looked down and saw that it had no title, no cover page. Curious, I opened to the first page, finding nothing written within. After turning the next, and the next after that, I discovered that the book was completely blank.

My eyes narrowed and I looked away from the book, up towards the treeline around me. I leapt back as my eyes landed on a towering knight, a very familiar towering knight. The knight stepped forward, his hands at his sides. I stood and stepped away, so the knight stood still and paused. Then he raised his hands to his helmet and slowly pulled the warped visor from his head, revealing a young man with blond hair and purple eyes. I gasped as Raiko stepped closer.

"Return home, Blake." He spoke, his voice echoing through the meadow. I looked into his eyes and saw pain, anger, a thousand emotions at once. Slowly, I nodded, causing a smile to appear on the man's face. "Good, now... awake."

* * *

Blake shot up from her secluded spot on the ship, the waves gently rocking the vessel. The faunus girl looked around her quarters, a small room that was both constricting and peaceful, a confusing feeling.

"Why am I having these dreams?" Blake asked herself, getting up off her cot and looking out the small window on the wall. The waves outside were dark, the moon covered by clouds. "It's starting to get creepy." She muttered, watching as a bird flew close to the window then flapped away. There was a gentle tap at the door, Blake turned and slowly reached for her weapon.

"It's the Captain, we're about another hour away from port. Just letting you know." An old, gruff voice said from beyond the door. Blake sighed as the man's footsteps faded, leaving her to climb back into bed and get a last hour of sleep before seeing her family again.

* * *

Ruby had been awoken by the most familiar calling of nature. So after relieving herself, she took a moment to look at herself in the mirror in her dad's home. Her home. The past two days have marked her, with darkened eyes and stress lines. Fortunately, she couldn't care less, they were safe, that was all that mattered. Ruby blinked and stared into the mirror, frowning as she stared at herself. Then the girl splashed some water on her face, leaning down and wiping her face.

When she stood back up, a grin on her face, she saw a man behind her. Ruby's eyes widened and she spun around, immediately two hands wrapped around her throat. The huntress quickly jumped and kicked out, slamming her boots into the stranger's chest. Unfortunately it did nothing to loosen the grip on her neck, so she did the next thing that came to mind. She kicked the man in the groin, certified by thousands of woman as an effective way to stop a male attacker.

The stranger buckled and released Ruby, who dashed past only to be grabbed by her cape and yanked back. She slammed into the sink and the man pulled a long, jagged knife from his hip and held it above his head. The man threw his arm down, brutish strength his main tactic so far. Ruby halted the man's hand with her own and struggled to stop the blade as it descended, the mna added his other hand on top of his first and Ruby did the same.

"HELP!" Ruby screamed out as the knife neared her face. Suddenly footsteps stormed from behind the man and a hand wrapped around his neck, yanking him out of the bathroom and throwing him out into the living room. Taiyang's eyes were ablaze as he stormed after the man, who got to his feet and paused in a hunched way before charging the blond man. Tai slammed his fist into the man's chest and sent him flying back, a loud crack filled the chaotic air.

The stranger let out a pained gasp, which turned into a savage growl as he scrambled to his feet and rushed at Taiyang. The father of two threw another punch, but the stranger ducked around the fist and slammed his knife into the blond's gut. Or at least he would've, if Yang hadn't smashed her fist into the stranger's jaw and broke it.

"Stay the hell away from him!" Yang snarled as the man stumbled back, holding his jaw with his free hand and hunching over like an animal again. Ruby peered from the doorway with Weiss, finally getting a chance to see her attacker clearly.

The man was dressed in rags, though that was the easy way of putting it. A torn vest hung around his shoulders, revealing a muscled chest, with bandages and belts wrapped around his lower torso. His right arm had what looked like a stop sign on the shoulder, held in place with a few belts, creating a makeshift hunk of armour. His legs were covered by shredded pants, with more bandages wrapped over the feet along with a pair of black boots. The stranger also wore a white baseball helmet, with dusty goggles and a black bandana covering his face. What really stood out to Ruby, besides the complete randomness of the attack and the man's armour, was his dull grey skin.

The stranger shoved his jaw back into place with an uncomfortable crack, then stood up with his knife in a reverse grip. Yang and Tai exchanged glances.

"You do realise that you're outnumbered, right?" Yang sneered, but the man just charged again. Yang stepped forwards and swung a haymaker at the man, Tai followed behind with an uppercut. Somehow the man dodged both attacks and rushed at Ruby, his knife ready. Then Weiss shot forwards and skewered the man in the heart, her eyes narrowed. The man shuddered, then reached forwards and pulled Weiss closer, by stabbing the blade further into his chest. Weiss' eyes widened as the man raised his knife, luckily Yang came up behind the man and tore him away. Yang snarled and bashed her fist against the man's face, sending blood flying.

"Let him go!" Tai shouted and charged forwards, tackling the man and leaping towards the large window that happened to be on the wall. Glass shattered as Taiyang slammed the man onto the ground outside, sending two fast jabs at the stranger's face. The father then stepped off the man and reached down, pulling the stranger up by the throat and glaring at him. "Stay away from my daughters!" He growled and threw the man towards the forest, slamming the stranger into a tree and sending him to his knees.

Ruby, Yang and Weiss came around the house with weapons raised, lowering them when they saw the still body of the stranger against the tree. Soon they were raised again when the stranger moved, getting to his feet slowly. Taiyang cracked his neck and walked towards the man, who kept a hand on the ground to support himself. Suddenly the stranger raised his face and let out a bark, an angry bark of an angry animal.

"Woah!" Taiyang cried as the stranger twisted his body and swung a massive slab of metal at the man, who leaned back and narrowly missed having his face carved in two. Tai jumped back as the stranger spun around with his sword, slamming it down over his head. Taiyang regrouped with the huntresses and watched the stranger slowly pull the sword from the dirt, heaving it onto his other hand to two hand it. The sword was massive, but looked makeshift in a way, if the pipe for a handle was anything to go off. It almost looked like a car bumper, though Ruby couldn't tell why.

The stranger let out a growl and advanced, holding the sword horizontal as he approached. Ruby spun her scythe around into rifle mode and fired at the man, directly at his leg. The man fell and held his right hand over his thigh, then to Ruby's horror revealed it to be covered with blood. The stranger had no Aura. The man snarled and sprinted towards Ruby, sword once again levelled across his body. Yang stepped forwards and uppercutted, smashing the blade from the man's hands. Immediately the stranger ducked and tackled Yang, carrying her past the group and into the wall of the house.

"Yang!" Ruby and Weiss cried as the girl slid down the wall and had a knee smashed into her face, then Taiyang pulled the stranger away and gut punched him. Tai then gripped the man's head and headbutted him, listening to the crack of bone with a scowl. The man took a step back, then collapsed. His masked face showing blood staining the bandana and pooling out around his head. Taiyang looked down at the man, then ran to his blond daughter, hiding the horror of taking a life.

"Are you alright?" He asked and examined the wound on Yang's forehead, which was bleeding slightly. The girl nodded with dazed eyes. "I don't think so, come on. Let's get you inside." He said with a chuckle, lifting his daughter carefully and moving past her friends. The four entered the house, only Ruby paused to look around for the strangers body. Strangely, it was gone, as was the bumper sword. She shrugged and entered her home, unaware that her pursuer would not stop. Not until one of them lay dead.

 **Ah, now we are rolling again! This chapter introduces one of my ideas, the Pursuer. This is neither Abandoned nor alive, he is... well. Like a zombie? I dunno, at least not yet 'cough cough' I do but you don't 'cough'. Anyhow, next chapter is gonna be the first of BNTY, so look out for that! Cheers.**


	21. BNTY: Awaken from Dust

**Surprise! It's Umber! This chapter is about 95% of my friend's own imput, which I changed a bit, but the general idea was his. So thank him... if you know his name! Cheers and enjoy.**

Within the darkness, rubble and rusted steel, was movement. Slowly, a large block of concrete was lifted and thrown to the side. Then Umber stood up, gently moving his shoulder in circles. He paused to look around, curious eyes behind the black mask. The old train tunnel to Mount Glenn, abandoned after the Grimm attack. Umber looked straight up and saw that it was dawn, with the hints of daylight coming through the clouds. That also meant that the soldiers would come back, he would need to keep moving.

Umber slid down the pile of rubble caused by that maniac Auxiliary, then after finding his discarded cane on the ground, began his trek down the endless tunnel. As he walked, he examined his clothes and cane. His suit was slightly torn, covered in dust and was now an unbearable eyesore. Umber's cane was next under his eye, he nodded with approval as the cane showed no signs of damage. Unfortunately he also knew that his Aura was all but gone, a necessary sacrifice for survival. When, or if, he found a quiet space he would go about regenerating it.

Umber's trek was silent, only his shoes clattering and cane tapping on the old concrete gave any noise. He twirled his cane for awhile, bored as he walked. Finally, after twenty minutes of walking aimlessly, the tunnel expanded into a massive cavern. Umber paused as he looked around, at the old buildings and destroyed train. He walked towards it. The old machine was torn to bits, with massive dents in the engine and the wheels laying at least five feet away from where they should be.

"Destroyed. Scavengers?" Umber asked himself, tapping the side of the train with his cane. He stopped when his eyes landed on a pile of masks on the ground, White Fang masks. "Strange, White Fang in this place. For what purpose?" He hummed and continued on, exploring the underground ruins. He came across a few bullet casings, when he examined it he found it made of brass. "Abandoned." Umber hissed, pocketing the casings and turning around and spotting a large ramp going up into the wall of the cavern. Umber jogged over and made his way up the ramp, finally free from the underground.

His head hit something metal, causing him to grunt. Umber reached up and shoved the cover aside, clambering out. Umber's eyes widened behind his mask as he saw the charred destruction around him, the blackened truck and ashen bodies. Umber saw the melted masks of the White Fang scattered about, but he also saw one made of brass on a corpse within the truck. Just like those who wore their attire in the Abandoned. Umber took the mask and pocketed it too, grimacing when he felt black flesh pull against his hand

"Apologies." Was the quiet word given to the corpses he had disturbed, then Umber left the destroyed building and entered the ruined town above ground. His cane was ready for combat, just because Vale got attacked by a horde of Grimm doesn't mean there isn't any stragglers. Umber heard a growl and ducked, swinging his cane up and bashing the Beowolf's jaw. "Damned Grimm. Hungry, greedy." Umber stated coldly and stood up, turning and looking at the four beasts behind him.

Two more Beowolves barked and leapt at the young man, who twirled and smashed their chests in with quick jabs from his cane. The next barrelled into his chest, knocking him on his back. The Grimm snapped at Umber's face, but the boy turned his head and the jaws bit thin air. Umber swung his cane over the Beowolf's neck, then spun around and onto the beast's back. The Grimm snarled and reared back, with the boy forcing the cane against the Grimm's throat. Finally Umber heard a crack and released the beast, allowing the corpse to fall limply. His eyes narrowed as they landed on the last Grimm.

The Beowolf snarled and snapped, charging at Umber. Then a large axe swung low and sliced the beast's head clean off, the body skidding to a stop at Umber's feet. The dapper teen looked at his saviour, then felt a heavy object slam into his head. The last thing he saw, was a horned man wearing a White Fang mask.

* * *

Umber awoke to the sounds of a dull hum, talking and slashes of water. He slowly raised his head, only slightly, but enough to see his surroundings. He was in a Bullhead, surrounded by three White Fang members, in the middle of the ocean. Wonderful. Umber was glad to feel his mask still attached to his head, but not so glad to have a bag over his head. The dapper teen chose to remain quiet to get any information before being noticed.

"Why are we even bothering with this guy? Let's just kill him and throw him overboard." One of the grunts said and pointed out the open door, glaring at another.

"Because Adam, as stupid as he is, ordered us to." The other one responded, sounding tired. He sat on the seats in front of Umber, his posture slumped.

"Can it, the two of you." A deep voice ordered, the third of the White Fang. He was a massive man, with goat's horns on his head. "Our sleeping beauty is awake." He grunted and tore the bag off Umber's head, grinning down at boy. "Gidday. I'm Bruce, I've got a few questions that you will answer." The man knelt down to Umber's level, still smirking. "Got it?"

"Yes sir." Umber answered, causing the man to laugh.

"Either he's a lousy hunter that's giving up, or he is just a pompous little shit." He crackled, then looked back at Umber. "I like you, so I'm gonna be nice. What, in the fuck, happened in Vale?" Umber took a moment to sigh, then began.

"The Abandoned. Burned, killed, took the city. My friends, dead by their hands, the other huntsmen. Captured." Umber answered in his unusual way of speaking. "Slaughtered White Fang, Atlesian soldiers, human and faunus alike. They say they are there for peace, so they left those who opposed them in pieces." Umber finished with a dry laugh. Bruce looked both annoyed and terrified of the boy's story, then he stood slowly and looked at the standing grunt.

"Get the other one." He murmured and then looked back at the masked teen. "You could be speaking lies, I don't know. Adam will continue this conversation." Bruce stated, unfortunately, Umber had different ideas. His hand was already gripping a small blade, but he just needed to wait for the right time. The White Fang member stood and turned when his accomplice came back with another person, but Umber didn't see them before he leapt forwards and slammed his knife into the throat of Bruce.

"Wha-" The seated grunt started to stand, so Umber threw Bruce at the man and charged at the standing grunt. The man had thrown his prisoner down and drawn a pistol, aiming at Umber's face. The faunus fired with a smirk, a bullet flew and smashed into the lower part of Umber's mask and shattered it. Then the dapper teen tore the gun from the grunt's hands and shoved the man out of the airship. Umber leaned to the side and aimed through the door to the cockpit, he spotted the controls and fired three shots.

The control panel exploded and the pilots cried out, then the airship dropped right into the ocean. Umber grunted as they hit the water, then inhaled deeply. His mask might've had the power to be a good rebreather, but that crack ruined the system. Umber started to swim out, but saw the other prisoner. His internal moral code had spoken, he quickly wrapped an arm around the person and started to swim out. Umber broke the surface of the water and gasped, turning around wildly to look for any nearby land. He spotted it, an island not too far away.

"Come on, can't have you dying out here." Umber muttered and dragged both himself and the person he was holding towards the island, though he didn't see, two handles were also getting dragged by the person's arm. Umber's struggle was finally over as he reached the shoreline, pulling himself to his feet and dragging the soaked person to the sandy beach. He would've smiled, saving an innocent and all that, but his friend wasn't exactly breathing. "Oh, hell no." Umber grunted and tore the bag off the girl's face, then placed both hands over her chest and pushed sharply, CPR training might actually pay off for the teen. He pressed again and the girl spluttered back to the land of the living, coughing out water and going still, but now breathing.

Umber felt proud, he stood back and his foot bumped something. He looked down and saw both his cane, and a pink, white and black parasol. He raised an eyebrow from behind his mask and looked over to the girl he had saved, taking the chance to actually examine her... not in that way, you fucking creeps-

The girl was tiny, at least five foot or maybe smaller. She had pink and brown hair, with bits of white among the pink, obviously dyed. Her attire was comprised of what was basically a white crop top mixed with a jacket that had a pink interior with a brown corset underneath that slightly showed off her hips. Around her neck were a few bead necklaces. She wore brown pants on her legs and white boots, with abnormally high heels. The whole colour scheme reminded Umber of neapolitan ice cream, was that her theme?

Umber stood tall and looked towards the forest nearby, then back to the girl. "Cold air, water clogged, not a good combination." Umber muttered, gently picking the girl up and throwing her over his shoulder, but not before grabbing both weapons with his other hand. The dapper teen then started off towards the forest, not a single destination in mind.

* * *

Umber pushed through the bush and found himself on a trail, not a game trail but one for constant use. Umber took the chance to put his little friend down, then stood on the path looking backwards a forwards. He frowned behind his mask, one way would lead to civilisation but the other? Umber decided to do something that usually, half the time, worked. He raised a finger and pointed down the path on his left.

"Eeny, meeny, miny, moe." Umber started and flicked his hand to his left and right on every word, after saying the little rhyme, his finger landed on his left. Umber chuckled to himself at the sheer stupidity of risking life on a simple rhyme, then picked the girl up and continued on his way. The walk was quiet, peaceful, unlike the events of the past few days. Umber knew that this wasn't for him, that the streets were more understandable than this. While the teen thought to himself, his little friend opened her eyes. Suddenly Umber fell to his knees, a pain in his back.

Neo leapt out of Umber's grasp and angrily glared at the teen, who turned with narrowed but hidden eyes. Umber held his ground, towering over Neo. The girl's eyes flickered to the parasol in Umber's hand, then back to his mask.

"Don't." Umber warned, raising a hand. "You are injured, this won't end well." Neo paused, apparently taking his warning. Then she sprinted into the woods, away from Umber. The dapper teen moved to follow after, but hissed in pain as the blade in his back was shifted. "Damnit, girl." He muttered as he pulled a bundle of bandages from his suit, slightly moist but it was all he had. Umber knew what he was going do was going to both ruin his suit more, and hurt like hell. He reached up and tore the blade out, then took his jacket off before bandaging around his torso. "Trying to help, get stabbed in the back." Umber continued to grumble, finishing his wrappings and gently slipping into his jacket again. Then he looked up and pointed into the woods. "A ruined jacket, is still a dapper jacket!" He barked then picked up both weapons and continued on his way, angrily now.

Neo was watching the man walk away with curiosity. She awoke in his arms, stabbed him with her trusty backup knife, ran away... and all he did was complain? Neo turned to leave, but hesitated. She had no clue where she was, or how she got here. Then Roman would look... for... her. No, he wouldn't. He was dead. Neo felt emptiness, with Roman gone, what could she do? Then the strange teen flashed into her mind, she pondered the idea then sighed. Neo took off after the boy, sticking to the trees and stalking out of sight.

Umber hummed a little tune, something to keep him occupied from turning around and pointing out his little friend. He twirled the two weapons in his right hand, switching the umbrella to his left and using his trusty cane to look extra dapper. The boy felt a breeze on his chin, surprising him.

"Broken?" Umber murmured and felt around the lower part of his mask, finding a decently large crack over his chin. "Lucky shot." He chuckled, feeling over the exposed skin, over the scar that ran from further up his mask and down to his chin. Umber turned and saw a flash of white, a grin reaching his lips. "You follow, even after injuring me? Perhaps to finish your prey, or for sanctuary?" Umber spoke loudly, waiting for a minute for the girl to appear again. Neo stubbornly remained hidden, so Umber turned and continued on his way.

This little game continued for a few more minutes before Umber stopped and turned off, into the forest. Neo quickly rushed to get the boy in her sights again, only to stumble to a stop and hide when the teen appeared with a bundle of wood. The dapper teen sat himself down in the middle of the path, dropping the sticks and placing both weapons next to his knee. Umber then used two sticks, through the power of friction, to ignite the wood.

"Come, rest for a moment. Regain your strength before stalking me again. Perhaps, talk for awhile?" Umber asked calmly and loudly, using the fire to dry his clothes if not a little. Neo hesitated, thinking about stealing her parasol and killing the man, then sighed silently and walked over to Umber. The girl stood opposite Umber, staring down at him with narrowed eyes. The dapper teen just stared into the fire, ignoring the girl until she sat down. "Umber Iwashita, your name?" Umber asked, Neo moved to pull out her scroll only to pause in realisation. She internally shrugged and decided to hazard sign language, maybe he would know it?

 **"Neopolitan, or Neo for short."** Neo signed, Umber hummed.

"Neo, no surprise, from your outfit." Umber said and Neo looked surprised, Umber noticed.

 **"You understand sign?"** Neo asked and the dapper teen nodded.

"The streets and libraries, hold many tongues. Learning took time, necessary to survive." Umber said poetically, in his usual way. "Sign took longer to learn, Latin more so." He stated, his tone going cold. Neo awkwardly looked down at the fire, then noticed her parasol. Umber saw her eyes and picked up the weapon, tossing it over to her.

 **"You know you just armed your enemy, right?"** Neo asked, her eyes glinting in the fire. Umber nodded.

"We are in the same boat, you and I. Both in Vale, both ended up here. Fate perhaps?" Umber hummed and Neo scoffed silently. "Ignore it, if you wish. Denial, ignorance, both overshadowed by the truth." Umber stated, picking his own cane up and examining it. "You aren't a huntress, you are a criminal. You have an air about you, like me at one point." Umber spoke with a strange happiness, Neo nodded hesitantly. Umber saw the sadness in his little friend's eyes, feeling sympathetic. "We all lost allies. My entire team, gone in seconds... your loss?" He asked calmly, Neo glared at him.

 **"Why would you care?"** She signed, scowl on her face

"Because I told you, and saved you from drowning." Umber answered, emotionless. Neo silent glare was meet with unseen anger, but she could feel it.

 **"My friend, Roman."** Her eyes flickered to the black mask. **"Roman Torchwick."**

"A true criminal, would have respected him if I were younger." Umber hummed, looking into the embers of the fire. Neo frowned.

 **"You were a criminal? I thought huntsmen were all knights in shining armour?"** She asked with a smug grin, Umber chuckled.

"A knight in shining armour, is a knight who has never had his metal tested." Umber stood up and towered over Neo, leaning on his cane. "Let's get moving, shall we?" He asked and offered his hand, Neo smirked and took it.

The unlikely pair wandered down the path, finding themselves in a deeper part of the woods. They remained silent, with only Neo giving occasional glances at Umber to check if he was going to backstab her. The sky above them was grey, cloudy but not yet raining. Neo had already popped her parasol up, protecting herself from the few gentle slashes of rain. Umber didn't move under Neo's umbrella, he just remained as he was.

Their peaceful walk was interrupted by loud thumping, then a roar. Neo turned first, but was slapped away by a massive black paw. Umber ducked under the Ursa's next swing and dashed around the beast. The Grimm swung its claws again and hit the teen's raised cane. Only to have its paws shoved aside, then feel a sharp pain through its jaw, then nothing. Umber yanked his rapier from the beast's jaw, then rushed over to Neo.

"No Aura, hard hit, no doubt internal damage." Umber mumbled as he knelt over Neo, her stomach growing an ugly purple bruise. Umber leaned down and tried to pick the girl up, only for her to smack him over the head. "As you wish." Umber muttered angrily and helped Neo up onto her feet. She took two steps before collapsing, luckily Umber caught her before she hit the ground.

 **"Fuck!"** She signed and Umber chuckled, wrapping an arm under her own to help her walk.

"We need shelter, either a cave or a cabin." Umber stated, feeling the rain starting to pound on his arms and back. "Fast." He added, then the pair hobbled down the trail. Neo started to shiver first, her clothes drenched and her hair dragged down. Umber was only faired a bit better, but even his hair and clothes were completely soaked. "There." Umber yelled over the thundering rain, pointing his cane to a faint light in the distance. They walked faster, or at least as fast as Neo could manage.

The light was coming from a window of a small house, which to them seemed like a god send. Umber felt Neo buckle and grunted, holding her up as they circled around to the front of the house. Neo gritted her teeth through the pain as Umber leaned against the wooden structures and pounded on the door with his cane, the rain and thunder screaming in her ears. Their hopes were renewed when the door opened, but was quickly diminished for Neo.

"Please, we need help." Umber spoke to the busty blond, whose eyes turned red when they landed on Neo.

"You."

 **Well shit, looks like they found Tai and Yang. This is the beginning of another separate story arc, you could say. Umber and Neo, in their adventures! Anyway, next chapter is with the Abandoned and how they are dealing with Vale. Cheers for reading.**


	22. ABND: Problems

**Ah, the Abandoned, my favourite group of chaps to write. Let's just put a little warning here, expect any chapters that involve the Abandoned heavily to get dark at some point. The Abandoned want peace and won't let anything stand in their way, and through peace is their revenge. Anyway, somethings in this chapter may be confusing or conflicting, but it should make sense in the later chapters.**

The Link stood on the old site of the counsel building, now nothing more than ash. His hands behind his back as he looked at over the lines of the Predator and Pathfinder platoons. The Link wore his warped, brass leggings and a white trench coat, one that only two others knew the origin of. The sky above him was grey, with a large black spot to the west.

"Men, we are here for one purpose, and one purpose only. Revenge." The Link started, his voice loud and clear. "We are here because the four kingdoms are losing themselves to corruption, to madness and to their power. We are here, because these kingdoms have chosen to ignore their people and make laws that only benefit one type of group. The government. Those people that the citizens trust, have betrayed them for years. Causing meaningless battles, failing to stop Grimm attacks and inequality among themselves. Now, we are here. We will rebuild Remnant into the glory of the old days, to bring the huntsmen and corrupt governments that abandoned us to justice." The Link raised a fist, a determined look in his purple eyes.

"We may be labeled murderers, we may be called bastards, but we are these peoples' saviours. No matter how much they hate, we will save them, we must. Before their corrupt governments cause yet another war, one that tears the lands apart and swallows cities! But no matter what, we are here for our ancestors and our revenge." The Link lowered his fist. "LEGIO AETERNA!"

"AETERNA VICTRIX!" The platoons roared back at Raiko, who nodded slowly with a smile.

"Dismissed!" He barked and the platoons split up. Raiko heard clapping behind him and turned, finding Sam lazily clapping and Alex with his arms crossed.

"Very motivational." Sam stated with a grin, Raiko chuckled.

"I try." Raiko said and walked past the twins, who fell in step behind him. "What's the situation looking like so far?"

"The civilians so far are thankful, but don't trust us exactly. Most saw us taking hunters prisoners, the excuse of unprovoked attacks are being doubted... also they've demanded to know why the counsel building was destroyed." Sam answered, Raiko sighed.

"The excuse of collateral damage is being discarded." Alex added, Raiko chuckled.

"You read my mind, Alex." Raiko stated, walking towards the residential part of Vale. "Are the civilians causing any actual trouble?"

"Eh, not really. A few have tried to leave, but after explaining the whole lockdown they come back. Ah, but there is one person causing trouble." Sam said and Raiko turned his head, looking back at him.

"Who?"

"Some courier, goes by Randy." Alex answered, Raiko hummed.

"Well, he's more just complaining more than anything." Sam stated and Alex grunted.

"Does he have a job at the moment?" Raiko asked, the twins shook their heads. "Hmm. Let him go, I doubt a courier would like to stay in one place for a long time."

"What if the civilians ask questions about a non merchant leaving?" Alex asked, Raiko hummed.

"Say that I personally gave permission for him to leave." Raiko said and Alex grunted.

"I doubt that they'd like that." Alex commented, Raiko sighed.

"There'll always be one who won't be happy, no what what." Raiko said, then blinked. "But we can make them a bit more happy, since they have no government, after we destroyed it, they have no governing body except for us. Martial Law isn't exactly loved, so we allow them to vote for three Senators to join our own." The twins looked surprised.

"A mainlander on the counsel? It's never been done before!" Sam exclaimed and Alex nodded.

"It is a good idea though, letting the people choose their own representatives instead of having our own rule over them." He grunted and Raiko grinned.

"For the first time in forever, we welcome former enemies with open arms... until they make a mistake." Raiko's voice trailed off, but it was obvious what he was meaning. They need the approval of the people, or at least to control them to properly get their revenge on the huntsmen, without the control over the civilians then they would riot and make things a whole lot more difficult. Suddenly a soldier appeared in front of the trio, saluting and holding out a letter.

"Ave, a report from Captain Foxtrot." The Legionnaire said and jogged off, leaving Raiko to read through the letter.

 _Ave Raiko_

 _The hunters down at the docks are growing rebellious, I suggest that we use 'persuasion' to get them back in line. There's also a woman in red armour asking for you, said that she would be at the academy. Why you hired a huntress to work for us is beyond me, but I trust you._

 _Captain Foxtrot_

"Huntsmen are growing restless, Raven wants a meeting, guess there's no rest for the wicked." Raiko stated and turned to the twins. "Can I trust you two to keep the hunters in check until I arrive?"

"Of course." Alex answered, Sam chuckled evily.

"You can trust us, Raiko." Sam said and Raiko raised an eyebrow.

"Can I though?" He asked and Sam laughed.

"You have for years." He retorted and Raiko chuckled.

"True. Don't kill anyone." With that Raiko started walking towards the cliff of Beacon, leaving the twins to walk down to the docks. As they walked they passed a few patrols of Abandoned soldiers, not as many as originally planned, but enough to keep any thoughts of hostility at bay. Along the way, they saw a number of people, both civilians and soldiers, rebuilding parts of buildings. Collateral damage and all that.

"Damn, I guess the Grenadiers got excited, eh?" Sam casually said to Alex, causing a pair of Legionnaires to look up and at them.

"It was just a miscalculation!" One exclaimed and the other grumbled, Sam shrugged and continued on.

"Anyway, I wonder if Junior is still in business." Sam wondered aloud.

"Probably." Alex grunted. "It's a pretty good place, I doubt it will go out of business now."

"Why is that?" Sam asked.

"Morale." Alex answered simply. "Drinking usually helps forget trauma, like experiencing a takeover of your own home."

"Got a point there." Sam muttered, then perked up. "Think Atlas will try and attack us?" He asked excitedly.

"Hmm, no. I think that General Ironwood will be in some serious trouble with the Atlesian counsel, unless something drastic happens, we have a good few months till we have to worry about Atlas." Alex answered, rubbing his face. Sam noticed and bumped his shoulder.

"That scar itching?" He asked cheekily, Alex grunted.

"No. Just can't get my head around that damned girl's speed, thought my Aura could handle it." He grunted with a frown. The scar on his cheek was long and was surprisingly deep, it would remain for a very long time. Sam laughed.

"Hey, now you actually look badass." He chirped, getting a fist to the shoulder in response. While the twins continued towards the docks, the Link was striding across the grounds of Beacon, having jumped up the cliff with little effort. Raiko' eyes scanned the empty windows and crumbled walls, trying to find his newfound associate.

"Took you long enough." A female voice said behind him, causing Raiko to turn with a smirk. Raven stood with her arms crossed and with a frown on her face, her helmet nowhere to be seen.

"Kept you waiting, huh?" Raiko chuckled, turning around completely and folding his arms behind his back. "You wanted to talk?"

"About the future of this agreement." Raven stated, her eyes narrowed. "I want to know exactly what you plan for me to do."

"Of course.." Raiko answered cheerfully, leaning down to look into Raven's eyes. "You should expect sabotage, high value targets and scouting." The Link spoke in a low tone, his eyes glinting dangerously. "But I assume that won't be a problem for you, as long as I continue payments?" Raiko asked and leaned back, Raven growled.

"No." She answered, causing Raiko to smile.

"Good, I expect nothing more than a completed task. Now was that all?" Raiko asked and Raven hummed.

"No, there's one more thing. I've noticed that you're keeping the other hunters alive, why is that?" She asked and Raiko paused.

"Let's just say, sins can be repented." The Link answered then pulled a coin from his coat pocket, flicking towards Raven. The woman caught it and examined it. "There's been talk of a few villages around the borders of Vale, about huntsmen being housed there. I want you to go there, find any hunters and tell them to come to Vale. If they refuse, report back to Legate Vulcan." Raiko said and Raven snorted.

"I doubt that anyone's gonna come here with you lot around." She stated, Raiko chuckled.

"That's the point, rebellion is to be expected. I want to show that rebellion is a very bad idea." Raiko hummed, causing Raven to roll her eyes. The woman turned and walked towards the gardens, while Raiko looked up to the headmasters tower then walked towards the edge of the cliff and leaped off.

* * *

Sam and Alex stood at the gates of the docks with narrowed eyes. The Legionnaire at the gate started to sweat as the twins glared at him.

"L-like I said, the Link was requested, I can't let you in." The soldier said, both loyal and stupid. Alex grunted.

"And we said that he sent us to check out the problem." He said and Sam nodded.

"The last five times." He added, yet the soldier shook his head.

"Sorry guys, but I have orders from Captain Foxtrot." The Legionnaire snorted in amusement. "Bloody hardass." He muttered. Most of the troopers know about the harshness of Foxtrot, his platoon most of all.

"For fucks sake." Sam said to the sky and walked a few steps away, grumbling to himself. Alex just sighed and covered his face with a hand, then spotted someone through his fingers.

"Pyrrha Nikos?" He grunted in surprise, spotting the red head sitting on her own against a container. The gatekeeper nodded and turned to look at the huntress.

"Yeah, I'm surprised too. Honestly thought that she would've either died or ran, guess I was wrong." He said, mostly to himself, then looked back. Immediately the man slapped a salute against his chest. "Ave, sir!"

"Raiko!" Sam said and looked up, snapping his attention onto the Link. "Thank god, I thought I was going to lose it." Sam stated loudly and watched as the Link stopped in front of the gatekeeper, who shook slightly.

"I was expecting my companions to already be inside and completing the task that Captain Foxtrot gave, why am I looking at them out here?" He asked lowly, his purple eyes piercing through the soldier's soul.

"I- I was told to n-not allow anybody other than y-yourself inside, unless they had more hunters." The soldier answered, quickly growing terrified of the anger that the Link was showing.

"Hmm, understandable." Raiko muttered to the man, then stepped back. "Open the gate, we've wasted enough time." He said and the gatekeeper just about tore the gate open, allowing the trio entry. Sam stopped in front of the soldier as he passed and sneered, then followed after Raiko. Most of the hunters looked up in curiosity as Raiko approached the group, growing fearful at the sight of the towering man as he neared. Except one.

"Raiko!" That single word halted Raiko, he clenched his teeth and looked down at the faunus at his side. Velvet's eyes were wide, pleading with those of the Link. Raiko just exhaled and continued on his way, leaving the girl to reach out to the man. Alex and Sam gave a sympathetic look, catching the utter hatred in the eyes of Fox.

"Scum." He spat and Alex grunted, Sam just shook his head.

"The scum I see, is the traitor on his knees." He retorted, then pushed Alex towards Raiko. The Link stood before the crowd, his arms crossed and eyes scanning over the teams. He saw teams CRDL, NDGO and CFVY, the rest were just the scattered remnants of other teams. He waited for the twins to take their places at his side, then coughed.

"I will not beat around the bush, you will all die." The Link stated coldly, his voice harsh. "You have committed the crime of not only attacking us without reason, but of following a corrupt power that has caused wars and destroyed the peace." The Link's words struck hard against the hunters, causing them to yell out in denial and anger. "I understand your anger, who am I to tell you this? I am the Link, I came from Regnum Aes to save this place-"

"Lies!" Fox cried out, getting harsh looks from the soldiers around the group. Yet he ignored them and stood up, snarling at the Link. "You came to murder us! You are nothing like you say! The real Link wouldn't let revenge cloud their mind and tear them from their home!" Those words echoed around the docks, everyone speechless. The Abandoned soldiers were horrified and disgusted by the boy's words, the hunters surprised but proud of his resistance. Alex stepped forwards, reached out, grabbed the boy and dragged him to the front and threw him to Raiko's feet.

"You say I lie?" Raiko asked quietly, waiting as Fox looked up at him.

"Yes." The orange haired boy answered. Raiko nodded and looked up at the sky, then slammed a fist into the kneeling teen's face. The huntsmen cried out as the boy fell to his side and two soldiers pulled him to the side, the Link stepped forward.

"YOU WILL ALL DIE!" He roared, silencing the riot. "Unless... unless you agree to three things, just three. First, you give up all weapons and either stay here, or leave and retrieve your weapons, never to return to the city again. Second, if you stay, you agree to help in the city's reconstruction efforts. Lastly, you lock your Aura."

"What?!" The outcry was immediate, but when Raiko raised his hands, silence returned.

"Understand that if you stay, you will obey our rules, our laws. We can't have you attacking us, or other civilians. Those are the terms, think over them. Tonight I will come back and get your answer, think about it very carefully." Raiko finished, then looked at Alex and Sam. "Get her on her feet." He ordered and pointed and Pyrrha, who looked up carefully. The twins approached and gently pulled the girl to her feet, surprising her. "Come along, we have business to discuss."

* * *

Junior was extremely anxious as he sat behind his bar. The man who sat in front of him was downcast, depressed and currently looking into a glass of his hardest liquor. The man in question was one of the White Fang lookalikes, but had taken his mask off and placed in on the bar. The guy had tired eyes and his presumably consistent grin was replaced by a flat line, no emotion except sadness and anger.

While Junior had seen a few people like this guy, they weren't part of some other kingdom that had just taken over the city. So he cautiously watched the man as he cleaned out a mug with a rag, his glasses covering his nervous eyes.

"You know... I really hate this place." Felix mumbled, his eyes flicking up to Junior.

"I, ah, get that a lot." Junior said, not sure of what to say. Felix snorted.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I don't like it because my best fucking friend died here." Felix stated, swirling his drink around in his glass. "Trying to 'save' this city." Felix laughed heartily and swung his arm up, splashing liquor about. "This shit hole is the fucking place we save? You lot haven't even said thank you, ungrateful fuckers." Felix sneered, Junior frowned.

"You did sorta just waltzed into Vale, started capturing huntsmen and decided to take over the city and kingdom." Junior pointed out, Felix shrugged and downed what remained of his drink.

"Yeah, well. I guess you'd prefer to be ruled by Grimm!" He spat and pushed off the bar, stumbling around before heading towards the door. Junior scowled and put down his clean glass and grapped the discarded one left by Felix, starting to clean it. Then another person sat at the bar, causing Junior to look up.

"What now?" He asked grumpily, but his frown disappeared. "Randy?"

"Yup." The man answered, placing an umbrella on the bar and sliding onto the stool. "How's it going, Junior?"

"Eh, seen better days." Junior answered, placing a glass of whiskeyon the bar and throwing the rag behind him. "How about you?"

"Honestly, not well. I thought stopping here and looking for work would've been swell, but then this wonderful event happened." Randy answered sarcastically, taking the drink and sipping at it. "Luckily I got permission from 'The Link' or whatever to get out of here, problem is that I don't have a job or anything." Randy stated, scratching his head. "You wouldn't happen to have anything needing delivering?"

"Nah, sorry. I was just restocked a week ago, don't need anything till next month." Junior replied and Randy sighed.

"Then I guess I stay for a month, wonderful." Randy downed his drink and stood up, picking up his umbrella. "See you around Junior."

"You too, Randy." Junior replied, watching his old friend walk away. Then the man grabbed another dirty glass and started cleaning again, not sure of what the future will hold.

 **Ah, nice, another chapter done! Next is going to be BNTY with Umber and Neo and their encounter with Yang and co, after that? Hehe, let's just say it's triple the fun...**


	23. BNTY: Fiery Contact

**This chapter's intro is basically entirely a fight scene, my friend sent a good portion of a chapter, but I'm expanding it since it just a thousand. About the next chapter, I'm not sure about that yet, so far I'm afraid to say it'll be another ABND, but I don't know yet. I'll have to discuss it with my friend, who shall not be named yet. Because reasons!**

It was good that Neo was being supported, or else she would've been crushed under the hatred in Yang's eyes. Umber felt Neo start to shake, not from the cold but from fear. His eyes darted to the blond's shaking fists, then back to her crimson eyes.

"Please, injuries can't be held together by luck, please help us." Umber begged, but Yang seemed to ignore him. Her attention was on the person that dragged Torchwick from their grasp months ago, all with a stupid smirk. Now she was here, in the rain and injured. "We are not looking for a fight, only shelter. To fix wounds."

"Yeah, not gonna happen buddy." Yang spat and threw a punch towards Neo, whose eyes widened in fear. Then Umber turned his body and took the hit, skidded back a bit.

"Stay back, combat is no longer avoidable." Umber stated calmly, gently putting Neo down and readying his cane. Yang clicked her neck and charged forwards, gauntlets sliding on her fists. She swung again at Umber, only to have her fist redirected away by his cane. Yang kicked out and slammed her foot against Umber's chest, then swung back with a haymaker. Umber grunted quietly and stumbled back, shaking his head and ducking under another punch.

"Stay still!" Yang growled and threw a fury of punches, most of which were either blocked or parried. The blond suddenly pulled her arm back and threw a fist at Umber's chest, which was caught by his cane and twisted around, forcing the girl on her knees.

"Yeld. No point fighting, not anymore." Umber said calmly. Then a voice from his left decided otherwise.

"Yang? Why is the door open- YANG!" The high pitched voice of Ruby Rose screamed out, giving Yang the chance to escape Umber's hold and shove him back. Umber sighed as Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee ran out of the house and into the pouring rain just to fight him, quite pointless in his opinion.

"What now?! Another assassin?" Weiss asked as she twirled her rapier around, Umber tilted his head.

"Assassin?" He mumbled, then planted his cane at his side. "All that was asked was assistance, received combat instead." Umber commented, ignoring the splashes of rain and looking at Yang. "Please, help us." He asked once more, getting confused blinks from Weiss and Ruby. Yang stepped forwards and smashed her fists together, hair erupting into flames. Umber sighed again and spun his cane in his hand, preparing for another fight.

"Wait! What do you mean you asked for help?" Ruby asked, but before Umber could answer Yang shot forward and threw a haymaker at his face. Umber silently ducked and swung his cane up into Yang's gut, then twisted over her back and slammed his cane between her ribs. "Hey!" Ruby spun her scythe down and fired twice at Umber, who used his cane to block the shots. Umber's eyes narrowed and flickered to his right, just in time to see Weiss dash forward to stick him with her weapon.

"What?!" Weiss cried as Umber's cane collapsed into its rapier form, then slid along her blade and flicked to the side. Then he smashed the end of his weapon against her head and tripped her up, then ducking under Ruby's swing from Cresent Rose. Umber rolled backwards with a grunt of pain, reverting his rapier back to a cane. Suddenly a massive force slammed into Umber's side, sending him flying across the muddy and wet grass.

He glanced up and saw a smirking Yang, who cracked her knuckles as she approached. Umber got up and stumbled, feeling an extreme pain in his chest, more than likely a broken rib or two. His eyes found Neo, who was quietly watching the battle with a pained expression, then they shifted to Ruby and Weiss, both looked fearful of Yang. The dapper teen grunted and stood straight, resting his hands on his cane. Yang scowled and leapt at him, fist raised.

Umber ducked and slid under the girl, charging towards Weiss. The heiress frowned and narrowed her eyes, raising her rapier and flicking the Dust cylinder and pointing it at the masked teen. Umber knew the girl was going to try something to slow him down, so he'd once again redirect the attack. Weiss fired a shard of ice at Umber, who dodged to the side and smashed into Ruby, letting the Dust hit Yang and freeze her lower body.

"Weiss!" Yang roared as Weiss blinked dumbfounded, surprised at the sudden speed that Umber had used. While the pair were distracted, Umber twirled and twisted around Ruby's swings and swipes. The girl in red was acting on instinct of survival more than anything, as her swings were wild and her body shaking from adrenaline. She knew that this boy was a huntsman, she remembered him from the festival, so why was he attacking them? She fired a few shots at the ground to fly into the air, giving herself space to think.

Umber watched Ruby fly into the sky, then quickly swung his cane around and smashed apart two icy crystals flying at his back. Weiss almost snarled in anger as the dapper teen blocked her attacks, seeming to know her every move before she made it. She switched to fire Dust and summoned a glyph under Umber, then multiple around him. She dashed forwards, slashing his arm, then flew back off a glyph, striking his back, then bounced back to cut his chest. Umber raised his cane suddenly as she passed by, sending her back at Yang. She skidded to a stop, switched back to ice, and blasted him with another freezing ball. Yet again it was turned around, thrown past the Schnee's face and behind something behind her.

"Oh come on!" Yang yelled out as her lower half was once again frozen, just seconds after she melted and smashed apart the ice. Weiss have her an apologetic smile then turned back, just to get smacked by Umber's cane and her Aura shattered. Ruby landed with a light thud behind Umber, charging him with her scythe, only to be thrown at the house's wall and have her own Aura shattered. Umber turned his attention to Yang, raising his cane, then he had a fist thrown at his face.

"Get. Away. From. My. Daughters." An angry voice ordered as the dapper teen stumbled and regained his footing, he looked at his attacker and stopped. It was a blond man, who had a resemblance to Yang. This was someone who he didn't know, that put Umber at a disadvantage he wasn't ready for. So he did the most sensible thing to come to mind, he surrendered. The teen dropped to his knees and placed his cane down before putting both hands behind his head, looking up at the man. The blond approached quickly and lifted the boy by the collar, holding him up under the thundering rain that still hailed down. "What are you doing here?" He demanded, raising his fist as an extra little hint to hurry up with the answer.

"Lost, needed help. Took the first chance given, bad gamble apparently." Umber answered calmly, then his head snapped around. "Neo." He called out, but why he spotted the girl, an unseen and unnatural frown of worry on his face. The girl was curled up, her body shaking. "Please, asked for help before, now I ask again." Umber's voice was sincere to the man, from his expression softening, only to harden again.

"Why should I? You attacked my girls." The father stated, only for Umber to shake his head.

"No, had to defend against them. Unprovoked, the blond attacked us, I responded." Umber answered, pointing at Yang. The man lowered Umber and looked at Yang, a disappointed look on his face.

"Is this true?" He asked, the blond blinked in disbelief.

"What?"

"Is it true you attacked this man unprovoked?" The man asked again with more force.

"Yeah, but-" Immediately Weiss snapped her head up.

"What!? Why did you do that you, dolt?!" She screamed at the blond, who pointed at Neo's shaking form.

"That's the girl that helped Torchwick escape!" Yang snapped back, looking at her friends. "Besides, after that other attack, I took the initiative." Yang's words caused Ruby to wince, Umber noticed but there were more pressing matters.

"That girl is injured, more than the surface shows." Umber told the blond man, who still held him. "All I ask is shelter, treatment can be done but only if I move now." Umber stated and looked into the man's eyes, finally he gently put the dapper teen down.

"Bring her inside, gently." The man said and pointed at Neo, hesitation lasted only a second before Ruby ran over and picked the girl up. Weiss helped the red cloaked girl as Yang watched in mute shock, looking at them as they walked past.

"B-but that's-" Her words were interrupted by Umber's cold voice.

"Neo, but not for much longer. Her blood will be on your hands, no better than the Abandoned. Shut up." Umber turned and entered the house, not waiting for Yang's response. The blond girl was speechless, but then she remembered it was raining and ran inside too.

* * *

Umber found Neo on a bed, towels wrapped around her. He walked up and knelt next to the bed, examining her face. Pain was the only thing shown. He turned when footsteps entered the room, the man and Ruby with two white boxes with red crosses on the tops.

"This is all we have, is it enough?" The blond father asked, Umber nodded.

"Worked with less before, but this is enough." He answered and pulled a chair over to the side of the bed, motioning for the pair to put the boxes down. They obeyed and the dapper teen nodded again, shrugging his tattered brown suit off and placing it over the back of the chair. He started to shift through the medical supplies and pulled out certain things, scissors and some alcoholic wipes. "Let's begin." He muttered to himself, then moved over to Neo. He moved the towels off her chest and unbuttoned her coat, all with gentle hands. Then Umber began cutting the corset for easier access to the purple bruise that he knew was going to be a whole lot worse, he was right.

"Wow." Ruby said in a whisper as it was revealed that the bruise had actually grown in size, going further up her chest and over her right lung.

"Not good. Possible pulmonary contusion, bruised lung. Need to clear it." Umber muttered and grabbed a spare syringe from the medical box, he moved back over to Neo and held the needle in a way that it would hit girl's lung. Unfortunately, before Umber could continue, the man intervened.

"Whoa, whoa! What are you doing?" He asked and Umber looked up at him, slowly and clearly angrily.

"Allowing air into the lung, hopefully to reflate it." Umber answered, then added as an afterthought. "Medicine."

"Hopefully?! Do you even know what you're doing?" He demanded, thinking about how badly this could go.

"No, but enough knowledge in the past saved me. I know what to do, I must finish." Umber said coldly, waiting for the father to release his hand. "Thank you." With that he slowly pushed the needle into the girl's skin, getting a flinch from Neo. The tiny girl shot up and gasped breathlessly, turning to the culprit with narrow eyes. They landed on Umber and she scowled, then her face relaxed and she returned to unconsciousness. After a tense moment Umber sighed in relief and stood back and grabbed some bandages.

"What are you doing?" Ruby asked when Umber started to pull his shirt off, causing him to pause.

"She wasn't the only one to be injured." He answered and got the wet shirt over his masked head, putting over his equally drowned coat. Umber started to wrap the dry bandages around his arms and torso, over long bloody wounds. It took only a moment for the gathering to realise how they got there.

"You... didn't have Aura when we fought, did you?" Weiss asked and Umber nodded. Guilt appeared on both Ruby and Weiss's faces, though Yang wasn't in the room, Umber doubted she would feel guilty about her actions.

"Don't apologise, understand the reason. If only slightly." Umber spat as he finished the bandages on his arm with a knot. "Better to be safe than sorry." He grunted and looked at the blond man, who stared back. "Umber Iwashita." Umber said suddenly, making the man blink.

"Ah, Taiyang Xiao Long. This is-"

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee and Yang Xiao Long." Umber interrupted, moving the boxes off the chair and sitting down. He looked up at them. "I've already met them, at the tournament. Though the Schee's name is known well, especially from where I'm from." Umber's words held a slight undertone of anger, which the white haired girl picked up on.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She snapped and Umber chuckled dryly, leaning forwards on the chair.

"Many things, though one in particular." Umber answered, but soon his attention was on the newcomer to the room. "She returns, finishing the job?" Umber asked the blond girl, who snorted and looked at Neo.

"She gonna be okay?" Yang asked casually, not really caring.

"Probably, don't know. She's stubborn, she'll pull through." Umber answered, as if he had known Neo for years. Then Tai cut in.

"So, how'd you end up here?" He asked and Umber sighed, leaning back in the chair. He told them everything, how he woke up underground, how the White Fang 'rescued' him, then about saving Neo, getting stabbed by Neo, saving her again. Finally ending with how Yang attacked them, he fought against her and then Ruby and Weiss. "All of that without Aura?" Taiyang whistled and nodded with newfound respect, Umber nodded back and shuffled through his coat.

"Unfortunate." Umber said and pulled out the shattered and water clogged remains of his Scroll, dropping back into the pocket it came from. Ruby chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head.

"Heh, even if it worked, you couldn't really use it." Ruby commented and Umber tilted his head, clearly confused. So Weiss stepped forward to explain.

"Some joker calling himself the Radioman somehow hacked his way into my Scroll when I tried to use it." She explained, shrugging with a scowl. "I have no clue how he did it, but he did." Umber hummed, moving a hand to rub his exposed chin.

"Communications down, makes it easier to occupy a place." Umber said to himself. "That means this 'Radioman' controls what comes in, and what comes out. Smart." The dapper teen chuckled, then a gurgling noise gave him pause. The room's occupants looked around confused, Umber coughed and they returned their attention to him. "It seems hunger is making itself known." He commented and Ruby giggled, Tai smiled and walked towards the door.

"I'll get us some food then, I'll just be a minute." He called over his shoulder, Yang followed him.

"As much of a burden I am already, is there a spare shirt? Borrowing it till this one dries." Umber gestured to the soggy shirt on the seat and Ruby nodded.

"I'll grab one of Dad's, he won't mind." She chirped and disappeared too, leaving only Umber and Weiss as the only conscious people in the room. The white haired girl narrowed her eyes at Umber, clearly displeased at his presence all of a sudden.

"Why do you hate me?" She blurted out suddenly, crossing her arms. Umber looked up and shook his head.

"Hate, such a strong word. Dislike? Better." Umber leaned back in the chair, but still keeping eye contact. "Your family aren't saints, this is fact. Forcing their workers like slaves, faunus worse, with little to no pay. I've met parasites before, you Schnees trump them." Umber stated, causing Weiss to recoil.

"Why you-"

"Granted, you may break the mold. First of the Schnees to care. So far, you've just reinforced the foundations." Umber said calmly, leaning forwards. "A book's cover may hold some clues, but within the book is the entire scene." He finished, then he looked past the heiress, causing her to follow his gaze. Ruby stood by the door with a large t-shirt in her hands, tan and bland with a brown lining around the trims.

"This was all I could find, sorry." She smiled sheepishly, but Umber shook his head and stood up. He walked towards her, passing Weiss who glared at him.

"I don't mind, thank you." He said and took the shirt, throwing it around his shoulders and buttoning it up. "Nice fabric." He muttered and looked back at Neo, walking over. He sat on the chair and silently watched over the tiny girl, now completely ignoring the other two people in the room. The coming days, or even weaks, would be interesting for both the dapper teen and ice cream girl.

 **Bingo bango, done! Now I ain't a medical expert, I'm just going off what my friend wrote, so don't blow your top off at me. Also, we are pretty much at 100,000 words for this story, a milestone that I never thought I'd reach. Anyhow, I've decided to move the next chapter to a later date, you'll be getting an ABND one, sorry. I guess that's just life, never getting what you're promised, or something philosophical like that. Thanks for reading.**


	24. ABND: Occupied

**Kept you waiting, huh?**

 **Back with the Abandoned, this time with an info dump and a curveball. So my friend and I were talking and he said that it'd be good to actually tell you what's happening and about the history of Regnum Aes... so I decided to reveal a little bit of info, just because I'm nice. Oh, also Denty the Centurion! Which will be explained in a pretty stupid way, or not depending on your view.**

The Link stood opposite Pyrrha in the Hadmaster's tower of Beacon, his hands behind his back. The redhead sat in a chair brought up by Alex and Sam, her arms bound and glare sharp. Raiko stared back down at Pyrrha, his face emotionless.

"Do you know why you are here?" He asked calmly and Pyrrha blinked, then frowned.

"Because you took me and the other huntsmen-" Raiko raised a hand to stop her, shaking his head.

"No no, I mean why you are in this tower?" He explained and Pyrrha scoffed.

"I'm cuffed and you dragged me up here?" She responded and the Link sighed, turning away and looking out the massive, yet shattered, window.

"No. You are here because of the power that was given to you." He turned his head. "The power of the Fall Maiden, an ancient power that rivels even mine. A power that, when used by the right person, can save kingdoms. It can also topple them, killing both a kingdom's people and its history. Luckily, you have not been influenced to lash out at the kingdoms." Raiko turned suddenly and walked towards Pyrrha, startling her. "But that witch would have, the one in red."

"Why are you telling me this?" Pyrrha asked and Raiko paused.

"Why tell you? Because we will kill you all, every single one of you huntsmen." Raiko answered. "I'm sure Ozpin told you plenty about us, how we were 'banished' for an unspeakable crime, or how we were just too far to save."

"He didn't say anything about you." Pyrrha interrupted, making the Link blink.

"Oh? Is that so?" He hummed, taking a step towards the window again. "Then I'll enlighten you, like Ozpin never did. When we were aligned with the other kingdoms, we were the most powerful, the most peaceful and the most wise of them. We kept the peace in a way, with the overwhelming power we held... then they came. Hordes of Grimm flooded our cities, from the sea and air they came and from them even more. Our capital sent a request for help to the other four kingdoms, calling for aid. Only to be left for dead, abandoned and forgotten." The Link clenched his fist and shook his head. "We won though, under the first Link. He taught us that the kingdoms were nothing more than corrupt cowards, that we would take revenge."

"Why... why did you listen to him?" Pyrrha asked quietly and Raiko turned suddenly.

"What did you say?" His words were fast, angry and confused.

"The first Link, what made you listen to him?" She asked again, watching the tall man scoff and look away.

"The Link controls Regnum Aes, always has since that day." Raiko stated and glared at Pyrrha, then grunted. "We took his teachings and used them, training not against the mindless Grimm that had thundered through our lands, but against human and faunus alike. We trained to kill the people who left us, your kingdoms." He chuckled suddenly. "Had to adapt to your huntsmen though, but it was easy to train against Aura. Easier when we were told that you were the key part of our abandonment!" Raiko yelled in rage, causing Pyrrha to flinch.

"But... who-"

"No, no more questions. I brought you here for a reason. To simply tell you, that you will live." Raiko stated as he turned, a small smile on his face. Pyrrha blinked.

"So I can leave?" She asked, hopes of freedom growing.

"Who said anything about leaving, Nikos?" The Link asked coldly, stepping closer to the girl once again. "No, you will live for the fact you are a Maiden. However, that is the only thing saving you from judgment upon the hunters." The Link's smile faded, leaving an angry scowl. "You are a Maiden, remember that is the only thing keeping me from killing you." Raiko leaned back and slightly smiled. "Be thankful for your life, even if it's now at risk." He said softly then looked up from Pyrrha, nodding to somebody behind her. "Take her back to the rest, tell the guards that she is to be watched at all times." He ordered as Pyrrha was yanked to her feet and dragged to the elevator by an Auxiliary wearing a full face mask.

Raiko watched the pair until the doors closed, breaking the locked glare from Pyrrha. He breathed in and exhaled deeply, turning and walking towards the ruined desk to the side. He slid his hand across its surface before placing both hands on it and lowering his head.

"Ozpin, you didn't teach a thing of history at a school." He muttered with a smirk as he thought over his plans for Vale, and for the huntsmen.

* * *

The halls of Beacon were empty and hollow. Since the invasion and prompt takeover, the academy had seen almost no other life other than a few soldiers, the Link and the Fall Maiden. However, that didn't mean that there was no life within its walls. The single unnatural form of a Centurion stomped and lurched through the school, no order to do so, just curiosity. The knight turned down a corridor and jerked its visor around, scanning the halls before beginning another racket of a march.

The knight's rapier was held at his dented chest, its blade towards the roof. The Centurion saw an open door ahead and stomped towards it, his body clanking loudly. The knight peered into the room, then quickly entered it. His attention was completely taken by the bed hanging from the ceiling, with a blanket stuck between the four posts. The knight looked to the other bunk bed and found it raised by only a few books, somehow balanced perfectly. The Centurion wandered around the room, stopping at a pile of both empty and full cans of dog food. He picked one can up and examined it, his hand twisting around and fingers moving across its surface quickly like spiders.

There was something on the desk nearby which caught the knight's attention, a large ringbinder that was overflowing with pages. He stomped over, dropping the can and sending his arm forwards. The Centurion's cold fingers were gentle when they flipped over the pages of the binder, taking his time to examine each one. There was something about the amount of activities described in such great detail that interested the heartless knight, who flipped back to the start of the binder to look at its cover. Best Day Ever Activities, writen in red felt-tip pen and underlined, either done by a child or someone that was ecstatic. The Centurion paused for a moment before lifting his upper body into the air, exposing a both a nifty storage and hovering orange ring.

The ring was like a brand, burning and dripping with black ink or other liquid. It remained frozen in place as the Centurion moved the book within the hollow cavity, placing it gently on his armoured waist. Then quickly slammed his chest, arms and head down onto his lower body again, taking a moment to shake his body in slight discomfort. He took another look around the room, not finding anything of interest, before turning to the door.

Finding a tiny corgi in his path.

The dog was grey, with a white chest and stomach and a happy look on its face. The Centurion was at first puzzled at the sight of the small animal, but soon felt a ping of joy in its heartless body. The knight moved his body down to a kneeling position, taking a newfound care to not scrape any of his plates together. The corgi watched as the Centurion put out a hand, waiting for him to sniff it. So the dog waddled forwards and started to sniff the gauntlet, which the Centurion turned around to let the dog know his scent... even if it was just metallic armour.

The Centurion took the chance to pet the corgi, just scratching behind the dog's ear. The dog made a happy noise from within his throat, like a sigh, then barked happily. The knight watched the dog carefully, now thinking of keeping this new friend. So the Centurion snaked a hand under the corgi's belly and stood up, gently raising the dog and putting it on his shoulder. The dog stared at the visor of the Centurion for a few seconds before blinking and curling up on his shoulder, breathing softly as it fell asleep. The Centurion took a handfull of the cans and left the room, with a passenger on board. The once emotionless Centurion now felt some sort of childish joy for the first time in a very long time, a welcome change from the cold, dark nothing that filled his shell of a body.

Thundering feet echoed through the streets of Vale, the sounds of Abandoned soldiers patrolling for any huntsmen. Specifically, the unarmed students from the other academies. The order to capture huntsmen was only for those who attacked, so the troops left the rest alone, that order was soon extended to these teens. Unfortunately, this meant that the hunters in training were scattered throughout Vale, making the soldiers' missions like wild goose chases.

One such squad of troopers from the Predators and Grenadiers was currently marching towards a large plaza, where people had gathered as they waited for any update on their lockdown. The soldiers cleared a path by their mere presence, making it easier for them to spot any huntsmen uniforms. Devrok walked through the crowds, ignoring the mutters of the civilians. Then out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the light coloured suit of an Atlesian student. The boy was distracted by his Scroll, so he didn't see the large man marching towards him.

"Sorry mate, but you're coming with me." Devrok stated coldly as he grabbed the boy's shoulder, pulling him towards the rest of the soldiers. The boy struggled and demanded answers, but the Legionnaire gave none. Two more students were found and dragged away, leaving a stunned crowd. Suddenly, one of the huntsmen slipped out of an Auxiliary's grasp and sprinted.

"Stop her!" One of the other soldiers barked out as two more ran after the girl, who was running past the civilians. Then she tripped, slamming into the ground and skidding a few inches. She was too slow getting up as the two solders hauled her backwards, with an expression of hurt and betrayal on her face. Devrok looked at who the girl was looking at and saw a young man staring back with a scowl, then he noticed the soldier's stare and nodded before disappearing.

"Looks like we got sympathisers." He murmured into the ear of another soldier. "They know who the real enemy is, eh?" They shared a chuckle as they marched their prisoners away. Elsewhere, in Junior's club, two of the members of BRAS sat. Alex and Sam were sitting at a booth to the side of the dance floor, their helmets on the table and drinks in hand. The boys were simply taking a break from following Raiko around, though also because the Link ordered them away from Beacon for awhile.

"Man, its weird seeing everyone again." Sam stated with a grin, Alex raised an eyebrow so Sam elaborated. "I mean, it was a good year or so that we've been here. It's just weird you know?" Alex grunted.

"Bill and Raiko were here long before us, and we only got send over a few months ago." Alex said and took a sip of his drink, Sam shrugged.

"Close enough." Then he leaned over the table and whispered. "You know that Raiko-"

"-is wearing Bill's coat?" Alex finished, a sigh escaping him. "Yeah. You know why?" He asked and Sam shook his head, making the twins stop and think. "Maybe as a reminder? A souvenir from the mission?" Alex put forwards and Sam hummed.

"I think it's about the history?" Sam said in a questioning tone, then shrugged. "Either way, it's pretty dark to wear somebody-who-you-just-murdered's clothes." He snorted and downed his glass. "You think he's marked anyone yet?" He asked and Alex kicked his shin, making the boy yelp.

"Don't talk about that here, you know the rules." Alex grunted harshly, but gave a small nod. "Probably."

"Who do you think the lucky people are?" Sam asked quietly, Alex paused then shrugged.

"Wouldn't have the slightest clue, though important figures come to mind." Alex answered and sipped at his drink, looking around. "Hey, you remember that guy from last time? Harold I think it was?" Alex asked suddenly and Sam nodded, looking around too.

"Yeah, that guy you gave a folder to, right?" Sam asked and got a nod, then he paused. "Why did you do that anyways?"

"As you'd put it, 'shits and giggles'." Alex grunted with a smirk. "Honestly, I don't know why. I suppose that I wanted to piss the blond off, to put her in her place." Alex answered and Sam chuckled, raising his glass.

"Hear, hear." Sam said cheerfully and stood up, walking over to the bartender to get a refill. Alex sat in the booth looking at his helmet, noticing how many scratches it had. Somebody sat opposite him, causing his attention to be moved. It was a teen with an umbrella, wearing a simple brown shirt with a black stripe pattern and blue jeans. Over his shoulder was a satchel, like a mailman or courier.

"Yes?" Alex grunted at the man, who snorted.

"You one of the lot who are running this place now?" The man asked, Alex nodded without hesitation. The man suddenly leaned in. "Don't suppose you need anything delivered outside of Vale?" He asked, almost desperately. Alex raised an eyebrow and shook his head, the man swore to himself and slammed a fist onto the table and slid out. "Sorry bout that, name's Randy by the way." With that the man left, leaving a befuddled Alex.

"What?" Alex asked as Sam came back with his drink.

"Who was that?" He asked and Alex shrugged.

"Randy, apparently." Alex answered and finished his drink, downing it with a grimace.

* * *

Raven stood under a tree on the outskirts of Vale, watching the Abandoned soldiers blowing apart the remains of the massive dragon that covered the treeline. Her red eyes hovered over each of the Legionnaires and Auxiliaries, examining their armour and actions. One soldier was calm and had a large dent in his shoulder as he hacked away at the claws, another had a massive shotgun and was cautious as he threw a grenade up onto the corpse.

Then the ground shook as the massive mech of Legate Vulcan walked into view, carrying a crate of explosives. Raven looked up and saw that the twin Centurions from before still stood on top of the mech's shoulders, holding their launchers and aiming towards the central mass.

"Clear the way!" A Legionnaire called out and the soldiers stepped back from the Grimm, watching as two rockets smashed the body apart just a bit more. Raven shook her head as the men cheered, deciding that it was time to find something else to do she started turning. But she stopped as something caught her eye, Raven looked up and high into a tree a few metres away and narrowed her eyes.

"Why hello there." She murmured as her eyes landed on a man who held a massive bow, crouching in the leaves and looking down at the soldiers. At a distance, she could see two fluttering shapes on the man's back, marking him as either a faunus with wings or a human with a flying contraption. Her curiosity was peeked when the man turned his head, or at least it looked like it, to stare back at her. Raven shivered, actually shivered under the unseen eyes of the man. She blinked and he was gone, leaving only questions about this newfound stranger.

"Hey, you over there!" A booming voice called over to Raven, who found Vulcan staring at her. "You planning on helping? Or have you made your perch here?" The man chuckled from within the mech, a few other soldiers joined in as they passed grenades around. Raven scoffed and walked away, turning into a raven and flying back towards Vale.

* * *

"Come one, come all! Positions for Senate seats opening! Anyone welcome of Vale blood!" A soldier cried on a street corner, wearing a nice dress shirt in place for his chesplate and armoured shoulders. Many civilians stopped in curiosity and approached him, hesitantly due to the two Pathfinders next to him. "Regnum Aes awaits those who step forwards! Have your word heard on the counsel, for Vale by Vale!" The crier said and pointed to the building behind him, smile on his face.

"What's this Senate you're talking about?" A woman asked from the crowd and the soldier turned to look in her general direction, or not.

"Your government was unfortunately destroyed during the Grimm assault, ours is giving you a new one that works better!" The soldier said happily, more than a few people were doubtful. The soldier saw the questions rising and spoke first. "I know that what I'm saying is probably unbelievable, but we are truely here to help. By giving you the power to make decisions, you won't have us over your shoulders all the time." The soldier's words seemed reasonable and the people murmured in agreement.

"How many seats are there?" A man asked and the soldier turned again.

"As many as necessary, my friend! More information is inside, as well as voting and name lists." The soldier finished with another smile, watching as the crowd moved into the building. He waited till they were out of earshot before turning to one of the Pathfinders. "Just gotta love Foxtrot and his orders, eh?" He asked sarcastically and shared a laugh before resuming his preaching.

 **Okay, what is up with the Centurion? That's probably a question that can be answered easily, I wanted to give the Centurions a more childish personality when not in combat... later explained in chapters to come. Second, well I may as well give you a bit of a plan of what's to come, not in order mostly and may or may not be used.**

 **-Umber and Co come back to Vale, with Umber getting a job.**

 **-Something goes to shit in Remnant.**

 **-The Abandoned goes to war**

 **-Randy gets a job**

 **-Another character for Salem is introduced**

 **-Another few Abandoned soldiers are introduced, probably to be murdered later on.**

 **-Felix gets an arc all to his depressed self.**

 **-The Link's abilities are explained (But not here, tee hee).**

 **That's as much as I can think of as I release this chapter, so I've got a few ways to get the story going as it starts and slows and accelerates along. Anyhow, cheers for reading!**


	25. SALM: Wildcard Incarnate

**Buckle up kids, this one's a fucking journey I'll tell you. Enjoy our newest member to Salem's group, a madman! HAHAHAHA! But seriously, this one is going to fry your brains. So be warned that this one will be a whole lot different from the usual stuff.**

 **Also, to Remnant7, I have the vague idea that you are talking about my new favourite Centurion. But so far I cannot confirm nor deny anything, you just gotta wait buddy.**

The land that was Salem's domain was barren and desolate, nothingness for as far as the eye could see. Grimm roamed freely as they pleased, without a single worry in the world. One such Grimm, a Beowolf, sat on the rocky ground and simply stared at the ground. Peaceful, such a beautiful sight to see. Slowly, the sound of a car engine approached. The beast perked his ears up and started to stand, only to have the front bumber of a rundown, barely held together car smash into his face and splatter it. The car swerved around a large rock and drove over another Grimm.

The car's left door suddenly flew off and clotheslined a Ursa, stunning the beast as it watched the car fly towards its master's tower. The vehicle shuddered about a half-mile away, then promptly shook itself to bits. The single living driver skidded along in his seat, the skull of a large cow bouncing alongside him. Somehow, the man skidded another five metres before stopping and standing up.

"What a day!" He said enthusiastically, walking comically towards the tower of doom that housed Salem. "What a lovely day!"

* * *

Watts was both silently celebrating and terrified. The girl that his Mistress had trusted to get the Fall Maiden's powers and the boy who begged for assistance were both dead, but that meant that his Mistress was angry because her weapon was dead. So he decided it was best to stay in his study and tinker with something, to let his Mistress calm down. His hands nimbly worked on his computer, making files and deleting them. He was so distracted with being distracted, he didn't notice the faint whistling until he paused his tapping.

"Who is whistling at this hour?" He mumbled and stood up from his seat, flicking imaginary dirt off his coat and crossing his room to the door. He opened it and peeked out, looking down the left and right halls before spotting someone turning the corner on his right. For some reason, one that he couldn't explain, Watts followed after the person. He walked quickly and walked around the corner, finding nothing but a Beowolf hunched over and prowling the hall. His eyes narrowed, there were never any Grimm in the upper levels that he knew of. "What do you think you're doing in here?" He asked as he neared the beast, which stopped and slowly turned.

Watts froze mid-step as his eyes darted over the specks of black mist that were slowly floating from the Grimm's hide, then his eyes snapped to the Beowolf's. They were closed. Suddenly the beast threw itself at Watts, causing the man to kick the Grimm aside. The corpse fell to the side and Watts saw a figure dart away around another corner, arms flailing wildly.

"I will not be outwitted by some... some idiot!" Watts stated and chased after the person, now very much interested in finding the identity of this stanger.

Hazel slowly walked through the halls of Salem's tower, heading towards his room. He knew that talking with Salem at the moment would end in pain, so he left her well enough alone. Watts would probably be working on something and Tyrian was out of the picture to talk to, so with nothing or no one to talk to, Hazel thought this was a good time for some rest. Then he looked up and saw a man sweeping the floor ahead of him, whistling a cheerful tune. The man wore a large trench coat and scruffy mantle around his shoulders and a wide brimmed hat.

"Who are you?" Hazel rumbled and the man looked up slightly, hat covering his eyes but revealing a smile.

"I'm Steve, I'm the janitor remember?" He said and Hazel stared at the man with a scowl. "Ah... I'm new?" The man tried and Hazel started towards him. "Abort the mission! Abort!" Immediately the man threw the broom and sprinted away down the hall. Hazel started to jog but stopped when the man skidded close to the ground and ran back at him, he found the reason why when Watts came running around the corner. The stranger's run was surprisingly quick, as he passed Hazel before he had the chance to stop him. The huge man turned and watched the man disappear down another hallway, then heard Watts stop next to him.

"Who was that?" Hazel asked in his deep voice and Watts shrugged.

"I have no clue, but I would love to know before our Mistress finds him." Watts stated breathlessly and Hazel realised the smaller man had a point, if she found the stranger in her halls she would be less than happy with her servants. They split up to find the man, now on edge as they now fought against the clock. The clock of Salem finding the stranger and kicking their asses. They charged after the man, not spotting the slightly open door as they ran through the hall.

Inside the room was the sleeping, curled up form of Tyrian Callows. His room was pretty bland, with only a few posts and other knick-knacks around. But he wasn't the only one in the room. Slowly walking towards the man's bed was the stranger, whose hands slowly moved towards Tyrian as he neared. The man stopped above the bed, his eyes glinting as he looked down at the peaceful faunus. Then the man reached down and tore the sheets off the bed, wrapped them around the now much awake Tyrian and dragged him out of the room.

"Wha- Who dares?! I'll have your eyes!" The faunus screamed out in rage as the stranger hauled him down the hall.

"Shh. I'm hunting wabbits." The stranger announced to Tyrian after kneeling down, then continued on his way. Tyrian's tail unraveled itself and stabbed out from the makeshift bag, startling the man. "Now now, we don't need that." He said in a disappointed tone, then kicked the bag twice before the enraged faunus burst from the bag.

"Now, heh, I'll be killing you!" Tyrian said with a grin, only to be dumbfounded when he saw a mirror-like expression on the stranger's face.

"Dog, get back in the cage!" The man demanded, pointing a finger at the destroyed bag before giggling. "Can't do that now!" He stated, Tyrian decided that this was enough rambling and jabbed with his bladed gauntlet. The stranger took the offered attack like a handshake and shook the surprised man's hand. "The name's Chirpy friend!" He introduced before flipped backwards and smashing his boots into Tyrian's face, then sprinting off. Tyrian gasped angrily, wiping his face with a hand and snarling.

"You have made a GRAVE mistake!" He stated and charged after the stranger, a scowl on his face. But that changed, once again, to surprise as he was yanked into the air by something. He looked dow- up and saw that his feet were bound by rope, hung over a metal ring and weighed down by a rock. Tyrian screamed in rage and cut the rope, landing on his face and grumbling.

* * *

Watts and Hazel wandered the halls quickly, hearing the distant angry screams of their insane comrade. They soon found the familiar walls of their home now unnerving, as every echo could've been them or the stranger. They heard chuckling ahead, so slowed their approach and walked cautiously towards it. Watts reached the corner first and slowly peered around it, his eyes narrowing when he spotted the coated figure hunched over in the middle of the hall. Hazel reached the corner and spotted the man too, but was smart enough to see a trap.

Watts gestured to Hazel to move forwards, but the huge man remained where he was. Instead he pulled out a small dust crystal and tossed it down the hall, both men watched it slide across the floor until it hit the man's shoe. Instantly, the cloaked figure erupted outwards, chains slammed into the walls, roof and floor with blinding speed. Hazel cocked an eyebrow and looked down at Watts, who was intrigued by the trap.

"Fascinating." He murmured as Hazel walked forwards, his footsteps thudding on the stone floor. Hazel approached the strung-up cloak with extreme caution, noticing the chains had tiny but numerous spikes along them. Suddenly, the chains retracted into the cloak, whipping across Hazel's arm. He barely flinched as his Aura flashed, meaning he saw the grinning stranger hiding behind a door.

"Found him." Hazel rumbled and walked towards the door, which closed quickly when its occupant noticed the hulking form of a man approaching. Watts hurried to the man's side and smirked.

"About time, this little chase has gone on for long enough." Watts stated and opened the door, walking in with roaming eyes. It was a storage room, one of many within Salem's home. Boxes were stacked everywhere, making the space tiny and even more unnerving for the two men searching. Chuckling echoed around them, like a hundred insane men in an asylum. "Enough of this! Show yourself!" Watts ordered and the laughter stopped, now only silence reigned.

"Negative." Was the reply, a deep sounding but monotone voice from the dark.

"Who are you?" Hazel asked and looked to his left, looking for movement.

"The other one calls me Slate, I am Slate." The voice answered, sounding like it came from Watts' left.

"Why are you here?" Hazel asked, his fists clenching as he stared at a shadow that moved slightly. He lunged forwards and slammed a fist into the shape, only for it to move and dash past his face. Hazel locked eyes with the stranger known as Slate, only to find a pair of dark, road goggles staring back. Slate leapt towards Watts and knocked him down before sprinting out the door, leaving the pair in his wake.

"This is getting annoying." Watts commented as he got to his feet, wiping his coat of dust. "However, we have a name. Granted it's only his first, but we can work with that to see who he really is." Watts said, only then noticing Hazel's thinking stare. "What is it, Hazel?"

"That laughter, it came from a different voice." He noted, looking back at the crates around them. "Not from that man."

"Well do you want to wait here and find this _mysterious_ different voice? Or would you care to help in finding that one?" Watts asked sarcastically pointing out the door, then without waiting for the answer quickly walked out into the hall and started left. The huge man followed his companion, but turned right. More ground covered that way.

* * *

Tyrian charged down the endless hallways, eyes darting everywhere as his arms pumped along. His grin, which was the usual for him, was now an angry snarl. His prey had disappeared, but he'd find it, he always did. He may not be hunting for his goddess, but so help anyone who stood in his way... Suddenly Tyrian slammed into somebody, sending both people onto their backs.

"Ha ha! I have you now!" Was Tyrian's first words after he flipped back onto his feet, his weapons ready. Only for him to realise who he had bumped into. "Oh, it's just you." He mumbled as Watts got to his feet.

"This has been the second time in five minutes." He stated with a huff, glaring at Tyrian. "Are you looking for 'Slate' as well?" He asked, getting a confused then evil grin in return.

"Is that his name? I though it was Chripy!" Tyrian sang cheerfully, Watts sighed as the insane faunus giggled. "Oh yes, I'm looking for him after he put me in a bag!" Tyrian snarled and Watts smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" He asked, amused.

"YES!" The faunus exclaimed waving his arms above his head, eyes wide and wild. The pair were interrupted by a faint chuckled, sending Tyrian into a rage. "Back again!? This time I'll have you!" He yelled and ran towards a closed door, slamming it open. He blinked in surprise as a crouching man stared back, wearing a familiar wide brim hat.

"Do you have a moment to talk about our lord and saviour, Gaben?" The stranger asked quickly, a wide grin on his face. The faunus in front of him roared and punched forwards, knocking the man back into the room. The stranger rolled till he stopped in a cross legged position, clapping like a dad would do to a son. "Good hit, friend!" He cheered as Tyrian leapt into the room, Watts moved to follow but the door slammed shut in his face. The man blinked in surprise and reached for the doorknob, but before he could wrap his fingers around it the doors burst open... or more like, blew off its hinges and send him flying into the opposite wall.

"I... almost had... him." Tyrian murmured from on top of Watts, who was trapped under the door that the faunus lay upon. The stranger stepped forwards and sighed happily, clicking his knuckles.

"That was mediocre at best, mate." The man stated, spitting to the side with a smirk. "Better luck next time!" He said cheerfully before starting off down the hall, only to bump into a large shape. "Oh fuck." Was the man's cheerfully spoken words before Hazel smashed a fist into his chest and sent him flying back, landing with a groan.

"Hazel! We need him in one piece to interrogate!" Watts snapped from under the door and stunned Tyrian, Hazel grunted as he walked towards the downed man. Only for him to once again roll back into a cross legged position, but now he had an emotionless scowl instead of a smirk.

"You will regret that." He stated and jumped up to his feet, turning and walking away. "Especially when your boss wakes up." The stranger said over his shoulder, causing the three other men to freeze.

"Oh no." Watts simply said.

"Our goddess!" Was Tyrian's imput.

"Stop him." Hazel rumbled and charged after the man, not waiting as the other two struggled to get up. Nobody had time to question the two different voices from the same man, because they had to find him before he found Salem. If they didn't well, then there'd be hell to pay. Soon Hazel lost sight of Slate, or whoever the stranger was, but did not stop his run. He skidded around the corner of a hall that his mistress' room dominated, just spotting the back of the man entering the only door on the hallway. He quietly, but quickly approached the doorway, hearing both Tyrian and Watts behind him.

"So... who goes in?" Watts asked and Tyrian looked surprised.

"We cannot enter our goddess' chambers-"

"Do you want her to be angry, Tyrian?" Watts snapped and the faunus looked away, hurt on his face. Hazel grunted and slowly pushed the door open, ignoring the pair. They all were silent as the door opened, letting a dim light fill the room. Inside was a beautiful rug, crimson in colour with a black trim, covering most of the wooden floor. A set of drawers and a large closet to the right while the left was bare, leaving only the massive bed in the centre. Under its black covers was their mistress, but above them on the headboard was the stranger, who was squatting and staring down at the pale woman with a small smile.

"Get down-!" Tyrian began to demand, but the strange man raised a single finger to his lips in a 'shh' gesture. He moved along the wooden board to the sleeping woman's right, now with a growing grin on his face. He spread his arms out towards the three men, in a welcoming gesture.

"We need to be careful." Watts stated in a hiss, looking at his companions then back at Slate-Chirpy- the stranger. He was the first to step into the room, low to the ground and arms spread out to balance his tiptoeing **(That's an actual word.)** as he took another step. Tyrian was next, crawling along the floor silently with a scowl. When Hazel tried to enter, his foot caused the wooden floor to creak slightly, he wisely stepped back. Tyrian and Watts neared the halfway point of the room, that was when the stranger moved again. The man slowly raised a finger and shook both it and his head, either a warning or a taunt. Eitherway, the pair continued their approach, reaching the end of Salem's bed.

They were even more cautious now, as they crawled alongside the bed and towards the stranger. The man was now furiously shaking his finger and head, his grin threatening to tear his face a bit. The two loyal servants reached out towards the man, now right next to Salem. Only for the man to yank a massive boombox out of his coat, slam it on his shoulder and press play. That was when all hell broke loose.

Ear blasting music thundered through the room, causing it to shake. Salem woke with an enraged scowl and rose from her bed. Tyrian and Watts both fell back and tried to leap at the stranger, who calmly jumped over them and landed before Salem's bed then sprinted towards Hazel. The massive man got ready to grab the man, but the stranger slid between his legs with a loud laugh. The man took a bow before the assembled group, before saluting and disappearing down the hall. The three servants slowly turned to their Mistress, who glared at them.

"You have a lot of explaining to do." Were her only words.

* * *

Salem, Watts, Hazel and Tyrian walked through the winding halls towards their meeting chambers. Salem had gotten a short version of the story, but wanted more, that meant finding the stranger that was known as both Slate and Chirpy. From Hazel, she figured that the man was here for something, because he didn't seem to be fighting them. That was when Watts put in the trap, Tyrian put his own two bits in as well. So Salem, with her wisdom, labeled the man as insane.

The doors to the meeting room came into view, opening upon Salem's command. The large doors creaked as they moved, swinging into the room and revealing the table and chairs. The men quietly followed their Mistress, their eyes scanning every inch of the room for the mysterious stranger. After they took their seats, Salem took a long look around her gathered servants then directly at the twin doors across the table.

"Do not hide out there, enter." She ordered loudly, there was silence for a minute before the doors burst open. The stranger did jazz hands with a wide grin then walked towards the table, causing Salem's followers to rise from their seats. The pale woman raised a gentle hand and the men sat back down, she looked at the man with interest. Whoever he was, he dressed to travel.

He wore a black padded vest under his well-worn, tanned trench coat, covered with a black scarf. Over the coat's shoulders was a torn brown mantle, which fluttered around his upturned collar. Though it more loosely hung around his left shoulder, exposing a black shoulder pad made from the same material as his vest. His pants were muddy, but were still clearly once a pair of blue jeans. On his feet were a pair of, what appeared to be, military grade boots. Then to top it off what the wide brimmed hat on his head, similar to either a preacher or Amish hat, and a pair of dusty goggles. His exposed face was dirty, with scars running up under the goggles and a rough goatee over his grinning mouth.

The stranger slowly neared the end of the table, when he did he placed both hands on the purple surface and leaned over it, not once breaking eye contact with Salem. Then he spoke, as cheerfully as ever.

"I want a job."

 **Guarantee that you'll all be wondering what the hell is up with this guy? I'll try my best to explain Mr. Slate/Chirpy. So this boy has a split personality, one crazy and idiotic and the other serious and stoic, but he is basically me but with less resistance to being a fucking idiot. So its me! He'll be important in these coming chapters, the next of which is going to be moving the plot along at a faster pace. I'll give you a hint, JNPR comes back! Cheers.**


	26. HNTR: Breakout of Vale

**Well, yet another long chapter for you. I'll be honest, there will be a lot happening during this chapter, so expect some scattered points. Many ideas will be in play, so I guess the only thing I can say is prepare for anything.**

 **Once again, thank you Bassman11 for your review and support. I'll try to make Umber less confusing, though his speech patterns are remaining the same for the most part, probably. To Remnant7, basically yeah, you could say that Slate/Chirpy is a semi-self insert.**

Jaune breathed heavily, his blood pumping and body shaking from the adrenaline. He supported himself on a knee, staring at the towering knight who blocked his path. His face was dripping with sweat as the monster of a man stared down at him, with that damned grin on his visor. Around them, hunters charged soldiers and soldiers charged hunters. Knights in black armour slashing down innocent students, flames roaring around charred corpses, blood spilled everywhere by both sides.

He forced himself onto his feet, left arm broken and dangling to the side while his right gripped his sword. The plan had almost been followed to the end, but only one obstacle stood in their way. The Link himself. Jaune closed his eyes as he remembered the first phase and the beginning of this suicidal plan.

 **Many hours earlier...**

Jaune sat on his knees and drew with a stick in the dirt, absentmindedly. Next to him, Ren was cooking a meal over their tiny campfire while Nora stood by the cave entrance and watched for any Grimm or Abandoned soldiers. Nora and Ren had been quiet since they witnessed the slaughter of the baby Grimm, even after they entered a town to get supplies and new clothes, where the people had been more than gracious hosts. Too much going on, Jaune thought, they'll snap back.

"So... uh." Jaune stuttered as he tried to start up a conversation, Ren looked up but returned to cooking. Jaune sighed, looking back to the drawing he made. He jerked back in surprise as he realised the drawing was of Pyrrha's crown. He rubbed his face and sighed heavily, his breathing soft. Something was put in front of his face, a plate of food. He smiled at Ren and took the plate, eating the meal while watching Ren walk over to Nora with another plate. When Ren returned to the fire, he merely stared blankly into it as he ate slowly. Jaune sighed angrily and stood up.

"I know that everything is happening too fast, but we can't give up!" Jaune said loudly, catching both of his friend's attention. "I can see it, in your eyes, you wanna give up. I know that look! I've had that look before I can to Beacon, before I met you or RWBY, before I met Pyrrha. But it was my friends that changed that." Jaune stared at Ren, then at Nora, his eyes filled with determination. "We need a plan, because all we've done is walk in circles! I have a plan, but it won't work unless I have my friends." Those works hit the two other members of JNR, Nora smiled and walked over, punching Jaune in the shoulder.

"It's good to have our lovable leader back." She said as Jaune rubbed his arm, wincing with a smile. Ren also stood to put a hand on his friend's shoulder, nodding at his friend.

"Okay, here's what we're gonna do." Jaune squatted down and picked up his drawing stick, using his hand to wipe away the picture of Pyrrha's crown. "We need to get as many, no, _every_ huntsman out of Vale." That got Ren and Nora's attention.

"Jaune, that's gonna be an bit tricky since, you know. There's an army occupying it!" Nora exclaimed and Jaune shook his head, thinking for a moment before moving his stick over to a clear patch of dirt and making three crosses.

"We steal uniforms, we've seen those patrols go out. We knock them out, take their stuff and hide them." Jaune said as he made three circles before putting a line through them, Ren noticed something.

"Can we even wear that gear?" He asked and Jaune looked up at him.

"Remember those guys who wear the White Fang uniforms, we'll take those." But then another problem arose, as both boys looked at Nora. "Have either of you seen a woman around in that army?" He asked hesitantly, but Nora just waved her hand.

"Give me the armour, I'll be fine. Nobody will no the difference." She said with a grin, both boys looked at her with a deadpan expression. Nora giggled. "Maybe I could be your prisoner?" She asked with a slight blush, staring directly at Ren. Jaune ignored their little blush-fest and drew a large circle in the dirt, then a line going towards it.

"Okay, when we get into Vale, we'll need to find the other huntsmen. If we go with Nora's idea, we could be lead directly to them." Jaune said, then hummed. "But they might not." He murmured, but quickly shook his head. "After we find them, we'll need to find their weapons and free them. Because I have a feeling that the soldiers would notice their prisoners running..." Jaune trailed off for a moment, staring at the ground.

"Jaune?" Ren asked and the blond grunted.

"Just thinking, what if we take the Abandoned's weapons?" He asked and the pair blinked, so he quickly explained. "Remember when we saw that other guy get taken, he fired at the soldiers but did nothing to them. But when the soldiers shot him, their bullets went right through the guy's Aura." Those words made them all wince, the mere thought was terrifying.

"I don't know." Ren said hesitantly and Jaune nodded, respecting his friend's input.

"Well, the idea is there if we need it." The blond boy murmured, then dew another circle within the bigger circle of Vale. "Alright, once we release the huntsmen we need to split up. No doubt the alarm would be raised and the place would be on high alert, so by splitting up the crowd we can get at least a third out." Jaune explained, drawing three more lines from the smaller circle to the outer rim of the larger one. Nora raised her hand.

"But what do we do after that?" She asked and Jaune froze, looking back and thinking. Ren put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." He said calmly and the blond nodded.

"Thanks, Ren." He murmured and was about to finish up when a thought came to mind, he looked at the pair with worried eyes. "What about the Link?" Was the simple question, but it made Ren hesitant and Nora lose her smile.

"We run, none of us can fight him." Ren stated grimly, looking around at the other two faces. They were silent until Nora yawned, making Jaune chuckle.

"Let's get some rest, we will have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow." He said with determination, unaware how hellish the next day would be.

* * *

Three Abandoned soldiers marched through the forest, two Auxiliaries and a Pathfinder. Their mission was a simple patrol, sent out by Captain Glare to find any signs of huntsmen in the nearby area. One of the Auxiliaries held a brass shield, emblazoned with a ring, and a shortsword. The other held a pair of handguns, engraved with Latin writings. The Pathfinder simply held a large flamethrower, a poor choice of weapon in their current location.

"Man, I knew I should've left this and grabbed an axe or something." The large firetrooper grumbled, the Auxiliaries laughed.

"You knew we'd be going out, Ryan. You idiot." One of them chuckled, getting a punch from the Pathfinder.

"Shut it, keep an eye out." The Pathfinder ordered, pointing ahead of them. The pair of faunus soldiers obeyed and they continued their march, not hearing the quiet thuds from behind. Suddenly the firetrooper felt a massive force slam into the back of his head and Aura, making him stumble forwards disoriented. The soldier turned to see his attacker, only to get smashed across the face by a large warhammer. "HUNTERS!" The Pathfinder roared as Nora battered the man with her hammer, the other two soldiers turned and raised their weapons.

"Fucker!" One of them barked and charged with his sword raised, only to be tackled by Jaune to the ground. The pistol wielding Auxiliary turned his sights to the back of the blond teen, but was thrown to his back by a sweeping leg from Ren. The Pathfinder levelled his flamer at Nora, but it was quickly knocked away by her hammer. The larger man grunted as Nora's hammer smashed into his side and sent him skidding away. She ran at the stunned man with a large grin and warhammer pulled back, it was the last thing the man saw before everything went dark.

Ren slashed at the Auxiliary with his guns, then spun around and sent a kick to the man's head. The hit caused the man to trip over his own feet and fall to the ground, but to Ren's dismay that didn't stop him from firing a few shots at him. This fight was going not as easily for either side, as they clashed steel.

"Nora!" Jaune barked out, shoving his opponent back and raising his shield above his head. The girl fashed a smirk and leapt onto the shield, using it to fire herself high into the air. The action distracted both the Auxiliary and Pathfinder, so Jaune took the chance to backhand the faunus soldier with his shield. The man's Aura flashed dangerously, its golden colour dimming. The soldier flew back with his sword flying forwards for the blond boy's head, only for it to fly over and leave the Auxiliary exposed. His gaze went down, only to be snapped to the sky when Jaune uppercutted his jaw with his sword hand, screaming as he did. "Ow." Jaune muttered and flicked his hand a few times, not realising that the Pathfinder had his fists raised to slam down onto the boy's head.

"Incoming!" The cheerful voice of Nora giggled as she dropped onto the large soldier, hammer crushing his head and Aura and knocking him unconscious. "Whew, that was fun." She said with a grin, but Jaune pointed at Ren.

"We're not done yet." He said and charged the only Auxiliary left, who had forced Ren into the treeline with his guns. He walked up behind the soldier and slashed down, then bashed forwards. The attack surprised the man who stumbled too far, leaving himself exposed for Nora to smash her hammer up and into the Auxiliary's ribs. The soldier cried out as his Aura cracked, just as he was about to fire at Nora, Ren dashed forwards and calmly shoved a palm into the man's head. The soldier grunted and fell forwards, unconscious. "Okay, now we're done." Jaune stated as he breathed heavily, letting his arms hang lazily.

"Come on, we better get these uniforms before they wake up." Ren said and pushed the Auxiliary over, slipping the mask off his face. Jaune jogged over to the other soldier and took his mask, but paused to look at the man's face. It wasn't of a man's though, just of a boy's. He looked around the same age as Jaune, with a youthful face and pale skin. Jaune inhaled and sat the boy up to take his vest and shirt, now trying his best to look away from the soldier's face.

While the pair took the uniforms, Nora stood nearby with her back turned. She awkwardly hummed as she listened to the rustling that boys were making as they undressed the soldiers, a slight tinge of red on her cheeks. Soonthe two teens were in the grey uniforms, the brass masks on their foreheads.

"That's the first part almost done, after we tie these lot up." Jaune gestured to the bodies behind him, then a look of thought came over him. "We should put something on that we all recognise, if we get separated." The blond said and Ren nodded.

"Good idea, but can we use?" He asked and Jaune thought for a moment until Nora spoke up.

"How about paint?" She offered, pulling a bucket from behind her back. It was confusing to the two others, but they just accepted it as Nora. They went about painting three letters on their masks, J, N and R. After that, they quickly tied the three soldiers up and shoved them behind some bushes, finally they were ready. Jaune pulled his mask down, looking at his two friends.

"Let's go."

* * *

It was just an hour before they saw Vale, and the first checkpoint. It was a simple blockade, with barriers and a few scaffolding towers that soldiers stood on for lookouts. Behind the concrete barriers, there were a few tents and a whole lot of troops. One of note that Ren could see, was a Legionnaire in black armour. He jogged back up the road, finding both Jaune and Nora sitting there. Nora grinned from the ground, her arms tied with thick rope. This was both to reinforce the illusion of her being the two boys' prisoner and to hide her weapon that remained on her back, in its collapsed form of course.

"So, what's it look like?" Jaune asked, mask still down.

"Not good, at least twenty soldiers and one in darker armour." Ren reported, now having slight hesitation to walk his gir- Nora into an occupied city. "But they look bored, I don't think they're alert." He said and Jaune hummed.

"Okay, that makes the whole getting in thing easier." He said and stood up, helping Nora to her feet. "You still up for this Nora?" He asked and the girl nodded.

"Yup, let's get our friends!" She cheered and the blond chuckled, Ren pulled his mask down and walked with Jaune down the road. They frogmarched Nora in silence, waiting for a shout and gunfire or charging soldiers. But they reached the checkpoint without harm, soon they were met by a pair of Legionnaires. One had his visor up and a larger pauldron, while the other had his visor down and a smaller shoulder piece. The open visor one spoke first, with a smirk on his face.

"Well well, another one? Where'd you get this hunter?" He asked, Jaune pointed a thumb over his shoulder.

"Just up the road, sleeping near a campsite." Jaune said, trying to make his voice sound different but only making it raspy. The Legionnaire seemed surprised at that.

"Really? That close to us? Man, Glare wouldn't like hearing that." He chuckled, leaning down into Nora's frowning face. "You are a quiet one, good, that means we'll have no trouble." He sneered and stood aside, but before they could walk through the other Legionnaire put a hand up.

"Hold it, who sent you out?" He asked, voice suspicious. Jaune sent a look at Ren, then stumbled on his words.

"Well t-the... um. You know." Jaune muttered and Ren stepped in.

"We went out on our own, couldn't let our guys have the renown to themselves." He said, staring at the Legionnaire. The soldier was silent, then nodded and stepped aside.

"Gotta get glory somehow, eh? Also nice hair, pink, wouldn't have expected it." The first soldier said, the pointed down the road. "You know where to go, down at the docks on platform three. Can't miss it." He finished and Jaune nodded thanks, quickly dragging Nora away with Ren. They passed a few more soldiers before heading into Vale proper, letting Jaune exhale loudly.

"Man that was scary, thanks for that Ren." Jaune said with a grin, the black haired boy just nodded. Now they entered the place that had been their temporary home, or at least the closet place to it. They walked the streets and found themselves under the watchful eyes of both soldiers and civilians, but it was these people that had Jaune, Ren and Nora thinking. Some were scowling at them, while others smiled and nodded in respect.

"I thought they'd all be angry." Nora whispered as the trio found a stretch of road clear of people.

"Yeah, me too." Jaune agreed, but Ren hummed.

"It seems like these soldiers are doing something that the people like, hearts and minds if you will." He said, looking at Jaune and seeing the confusion even through the mask. "It's when an army of government tries to appeal to an occupied people to sway them to their own side." Ren explained quickly, the blond boy nodded in understanding and looking forwards. He suddenly stopped in his tracks, halting Nora and Ren along the way. They sent him confused stares then followed his gaze, quickly seeing the problem. It was Alex, and he was currently only a few metres away looking at something in his hand.

"This way." Jaune said and dragged the pair into an alleyway, crouching and waiting for the other teen to pass. It was a good call, if he had recognised Nora, he'd recognise Ren and Jaune. That wasn't something they could bet on, they were deep behind enemy lines with no escape if something wrong happened. They spotted the armoured teen starting to walk past, only to stop and look up for a moment, his golden eyes narrowing. It was then that Jaune noticed how sharp Alex's sword looked on his back, gulping in fear.

"Hey, Alex!" A voice called from somewhere to the side, or from behind Alex as he turned around, luckily not in their direction. It appeared to be another Auxiliary, though he seemed a bit nervous. "Felix is causing trouble, we need some help a couple blocks over." He said and gestured behind him, the golden eyed boy nodded and jogged after the soldier towards whatever this Felix had done. Suddenly Nora gasped and Ren stiffened behind Jaune, causing the boy to immediately spin around and see what had start Nora.

"Whoa." He muttered in shock as he found himself staring at a dented and battered suit of brass armour, chiseled and covered with runes. Though only the chest plate, helmet and a few plates were left of the set, it was nevertheless impressive. Around its shoulders was a massive cloak that looked familiar, as well as a mask that stared at them from the darkened corner. The remaining plates were crushed and flattened slightly, with a gaping hole in the lower torso of the chestplate. Quickly recognition came to Jaune. "Bill's armour, but if it's here where's Bill?" Jaune asked quietly, but Ren shook his head.

"We should get moving, we still need to think of how we are getting over a hundred huntsmen out of Vale." Ren said and the blond leader nodded, standing and helping Ren pull Nora up and out of the alley. As the trio continued on their way, they thought of ways to get the group of hunters out. One that the three agreed on, though reluctantly, was to simply arm a bunch of the students with stolen weapons and send them running. Another was to split up into small groups and leave one at a time, to lessen the chances of being spotted, though it was flawed as they had no idea if the soldiers were observant or not.

Guess winging it would work, has in the past.

* * *

They came within sight of the docks at midday, immediately their plans changed. There were two guard patrols disappearing down streets and a few ominous black knights stationed around. The trio stood in another alleyway, planning for their next move. Jaune looked at his friends, stolen mask on his forehead.

"Alright, the plan might not work." He said with a nervous grin. "You two know anything about those knights?" He asked and the pair shook their heads, the teen sighed and rubbed his face. "Okay, it just means we need to be nice and easy when we walk in. Then we spread the word about the plan, and rush the guards." The plan wasn't perfect, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Let's do this." Nora said with a grin, dropping it when they walked out of the alley and towards the gate of the docks. The guard they met was another Legionnaire, who had his arms crossed and stared at them silently. Jaune stepped forwards and pushed Nora forwards, staring at the visor of the soldier.

"Got another one." He stated and the Legionnaire turned his gaze to Nora, arms still crossed. The red haired girl smiled sweetly, then promptly jumped forwards and smashed her head against the soldier's helmet. The force knocked the soldier down, giving Nora the chance to kick the man.

"This. Is. For. Interrupting. Pancake. Mornings!" She snapped with each boot into the soldier's ribs and head, finally stopping and breathing heavily. Then she looked at Ren and Jaune. "Let's go." Quickly Jaune pushed the gates open and tore his mask off, tossing it down and walking into the compound. All around him were startled faces, students from all corners of Remnant staring at their saviour in disbelief. The boy stood tall and took a deep breath.

"My name is Jaune Arc, and we're here to get you out!" He shouted, the crowd erupted into murmurs. Ren and Nora ran into the groups, cutting and tearing rope off the bound hunters. Jaune joined them, slicing through with his family sword and giving reassuring smiles at the scared faces. Suddenly, when he cut through the bounds of a female hunter, a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Well if it isn't Jauney boy." Jaune turned and found Cardin and his team staring at him, smirk on the big boy's face. The blond stood up and stared back at Cardin, not stepping down. Cardin raised his hand, almost as if to hit Jaune, but soon levelled it out for a handshake. "Thank you." He said with a surprisingly gentle tone, the blond teen took the hand and nodded.

"Everyone! Help each other out! We need to be strong and united to escape Vale!" Jaune shouted out as he jogged towards the familiar faces of team CVFY and a fox faunus girl, though he gasped when his eyes landed on Fox's face. "What did they-?" He started but stopped himself, quickly cutting through the ropes. Fox stared at him through a black eye, nodding thanks and using Yats as support as he stood. Jaune looked around at all of the hunters, trying to find any that were still tied up. "Is that everyone?!" He yelled, one hunter looked at him and pointed to something behind him.

"I think there's someone over there! Red head!" He barked and Jaune nodded, turning and jogging over to a stack of containers. He turned the corner and found the last huntsman, Pyrrha. The girl was sitting against a crate, tied up like the rest of the hunters and looking downcast.

"Pyrrha!" He cried as he ran towards her, causing her head to snap up. Her face was one of horror.

"Jaune! No!" She screamed, Jaune faltered and soon realised her horror. Suddenly, he was launched to the side by a backhand from a dark armoured knight. He groaned and started to get to his feet, only for the Centurion to stomp over and slam an arm down onto the boy's back. Jaune yelped as he collapsed, only to be pulled into the air and held close to the Centurion's visor. Jaune grabbed the closed hand around his throat, staring with shaking eyes as the knight raised a rapier high.

"I got you!" A voice stated as a hunter leapt onto the Centurion's arm, pulling it back and knocking the knight's aim off. Unfortunately, the knight was far stronger and more unnatural than the boy, as he soon figured out when the arm he was pulling suddenly flew from his grasp and backhanded him. Then the Centurion returned his thin, freezing blade to its previous position, only to be interrupted when he felt something clamp down on his gauntlet. The knight turned his visor and found his hand crushed, looking up to find Pyrrha with his eyes closed in concentration. Suddenly the Centurion's chest crumbled, causing him to drop Jaune and grab at his chestplate.

Jaune coughed and watched in awe as the Centurion writhed, stumbling on now unseasy boots and shaking fiercely. Pyrrha frowned ever so slightly, completely tearing the entire torso from the knight and crushing it to a ball. The Centurion's arms and helmet hung it the air for a moment, before dropping like stones and clanging on the stone ground. There was silence for a moment, broken when Jaune got to his feet and ran to Pyrrha.

"Thank you, Pyrrha." He said as he cut her loose, then found himself in an embrace from the red head. "Let's get out of here, nice and quick." He murmured into her ear, unaware how horribly wrong he was.

* * *

Raiko suddenly jerked up from his desk, the previous Headmaster's of course. He felt his hip burning, his Wrought Vanguard. The hilt was glowing a bright red, flashing at second intervals before fading on the fifth. The Link frowned for a moment, confused at why his blade had started to burn... then it hit him. One was gone. One of his Centurions, one of the oldest was gone. The Link looked at his left hand, noticing it shake into a fist. His breathing reached his ears, like the enraged snorts of a bull. He stood up and slammed his fist onto the desk, turning around and throwing his coat off.

He screamed in rage, pure animalistic rage, as the ribs of brass formed over his own. His armour formed over his shirt and arms, burning his skin slightly at the sudden call for it. His eyes were ablaze, soon traded for an inferno within his horrific grinning visor. The elevator doors opened and two pairs of feet sprinted in only to skid to a stop, in awe of the Link's rage.

"Sir, the huntsmen... they've-" Captain Foxtrot stated nervously, stopping himself under Raiko's glare. The Link turned to the other soldier, who quickly slammed a salute over his heart.

"Sir, the Predators and Grenadiers have made a line around the borders of Vale, Pathfinder squads are moving through to search and capture. The Triarii are assisting where they can." The Legionnaire reported, getting a glare from Foxtrot. Raiko nodded and pulled his sword from his hip, examining it.

"Capture as many as you can, not in one piece this time. This time, they will learn their lesson." The Link growled and the soldiers nodded, turning and returning to the elevator as Raiko turned and kicked the glass out. He leapt from the tower as his ruined cape fluttered to flames around his neck, he would drop to the grounds of Beacon before jumping again to the edge of Vale. A mere flex of a finger for the Link, his powers mighty and rage more so.

* * *

Jaune's shoes slammed against the concrete as he lead his team and another through the side streets of Vale, behind them were the shouts of more Abandoned soldiers. The two teams passed many others, some who had stolen weapons while others were scattering like insects. But all had the same objectives: get out of Vale as quickly as possible. Suddenly, the grinning face of an Auxiliary appeared from a side street, large knife in hand.

"Sup fuckers!" He chuckled and went to stab Jaune, luckily he was saved by the sudden appearance of another student smashing a plank over the man's head. The soldier turned and slashed the boy's arm, unfortunately giving the other teens the chance to run. Jaune had to be dragged a few feet before he returned to running by Pyrrha, who had a grim look of determination on her face. They saw a few huntsmen fighting back against the chaotic flamethrower soldiers, but most were being beaten back an in some cases down to their knees.

"Hey, we'll get them back." One of the stranger students said, his uniform marking him as an Atlesian student. He ran next to the blond boy, his own brown hair flicking back as he ran. "The name's Jeremy, you're Jaune right? Thanks for saving us back there, thought we'd be stuck there. That bastard said we could leave, but he never came back!" The boy spat and Jaune shrugged.

"At least you're out, eh?" Jaune chuckled and returned his attention to ahead of him, finding the group entering an open plaza. They made it halfway before they found the first of many nightmares. The leader of the group was a purple haired girl, wearing another Atlas uniform, she turned to check on the group before turning back. Then her right leg was slashed clean off, sending the girl face first to the ground and before she could move, the guillotine-like blade slammed down onto her other leg. The huntress screamed out as Alex walked towards the group of students, his golden eyes narrowed and filled with fury.

"Look at what you've done." He growled, gesturing with his other hand around the plaza and city. Faint screams, gunfire and cries of brass filled the air. Alex hefted Thundering Brass up and grabbed the second notch with his hand, eyes locking onto Jaune, Ren and Nora. "You, you will die here. You three shouldn't have interfered, but you won't any longer." He stated and picked up the pace, sprinting at them with his greatsword raised at an angle. The teens scattered as Alex charged forth, his eyes set on Jaune.

Fortunatly, Pyrrha was looking out for him once again and raised her hand towards Alex. The soldier spotted her just as he began to feel his chestplate shrink, he gasped and fell to a knee and grasped the neck of his armour. Pyrrha frowned and slightly crushed once more before being pulled by one of the surviving Atlesian hunters, another girl with black hair. Her teammates were helping their collapsed friend as were Pyrrha's own friends. She took another look back at Alex, who was pulling at the hinges of his armour to release some of the pressure.

"Come on! We're almost there!" Jeremy cried as he hobbled along with his other friend, supporting the purple haired girl. They burst from the urban area into a war zone. Around them, some hunters were firing at soldiers while others were merely running. Luckily, Ren pointed out a more open part of the Abandoned's defensive line.

"There!" He said and the group moved quickly, reaching it and just about to pass the distant soldiers who stood only metres away. Then Raiko appeared from the group's right, stomping towards them and swinging his coiled sword at the three Atlas students leading them away. They flew back at the rest of the hunters, bodies scorched from the Link's blade. Jaune looked at his poor friends, expression hardening as he turned and raised his shield and sword, stepping between the Link and his fallen friends. The Link said nothing as he raised his sword and smashed it down onto Jaune's guard, then his spiked crown flashed and he followed up with a fast punch down onto the shield.

The blond boy collapsed with a scream, but it was overpowered by those of other hunters and a few injured soldiers. He felt his left arm dangling, pain erupting through his body as he slowly looked up at the towering knight that stood before him. He finally felt the warm sweat that dripped down his face, almost forgetting it through the excitement of escaping. He gritted his teeth before taking a shaky attempt at standing up, succeeding at the now straining task. Soon his sword was raised and held in front of his body, teeth now forced against one another to bear the pain. Raiko watched silently, ignoring everything around him and diverting all his attention to Jaune.

"You really care about your friends, don't you?" He asked and lowered his blade. "Unfortunately, you were blind to what you just did. You just showed that we were right." Those words got Jaune's attention, as he lowered his own blade shakily.

"What?" He hissed and the Link gestured around them.

"We had known that you abandoned us, all those years ago. But now even the people of Vale know that you would only free your own, even then, all of you just forced us to inflict even more damage to Vale. Once we drag you back, you will answer for your crimes." Raiko stated and raised his sword, twisting slightly to angle the tip at the blond teen's chest. "Judgement will be served immediately." The Link snarled and turned, throwing his coiled sword forwards. Then his blade was halted in the air, just inches from Jaune's blade. Raiko seemed to quickly figure out the reason, as his grinning faceplate snapped up and he spoke in stunned awe. "The Maiden..."

Suddenly, the Link was thrown to the side and the soldiers around the small group of students were knocked off their feet and onto their backs. Jaune turned around in amazement, finding what Raiko had been affixed on. Pyrrha, who held her hand out as fire burned from the sides of her eyes. The blond boy took only a single step, before blood loss and exhaustion hit him and his vision turned black. His name echoing around him.

* * *

"Sorry to interrupt your daily broadcasts, but there's been a serious breach in Vale. The huntsmen who were being held for the safety of the citizens were broken out, now I ain't one to get that angry, but they have destroyed more than they have saved. Right now, any hunters who approach Vale are to be immediately arrested, if you see any of these criminals, alert the nearest patrol. That's all from 37.0 and me, the Radioman. Enjoy your day, Vale."

 **What the hell is gonna happen now? The huntsmen have escaped, but now the Abandoned have more proof that they are the better protectors of humanity. Unfortunately, this isn't the end of the story, so you don't know! Anyways, we got a special pair of chapters from good ol' Umber, who will have a lot more to deal woth than already. I hope you enjoyed, cheers.**


	27. BNTY: Veil Unraveled

**Ok, listen up for some disclaimers. Tai, Weiss and Winter will probably be a bit OOC, but for the sake of plot I'm keeping it. This chapter is still about Umber, but he's basically fucked off for most of it. Also, sudden info dump later in the chapter. Anyhow, it shouldn't stop you from enjoying. Also, sorry to my friend if you see something missing from the fuckton of stuff you sent, I might be a god in this world but I can't do miracles. That's more God's job, let him sort em' out.**

Neo awoke in a daze, her mismatched eyes blinking away the blur that blinded her. She raised her arm and felt her chest to try and stop the dull pain there, of course all that did was make her silently hiss in pain. It was also then that she found her corset was cut open, though only a bit from the bottom it got Neo angry. She pushed the blankets off her legs, then paused and looked around. The tiny girl quickly identified the room as a bedroom, granted it didn't take a genius to figure that out from the bed she was sitting in. Eventually, she decided to stop the sightseeing and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, both to figure out where she really was and to figure out who cut her corset.

Though she immediately stumbled backwards when her legs collapsed from under her, looks like she was asleep for awhile. She huffed quietly and pushed herself up, standing still and regaining some sense of balance. Unfortunately, only some balance was back, so when Neo took a step forwards she started falling. Suddenly, the floor halted its sudden introduction to her face, thanks to the arm under her.

"Morning." The calm voice of Umber greeted her, as the dapper teen helped the girl back onto the bed. Neo, of course, pouted. "Don't stress your body, been asleep for a few days. Weakened now, but strength will come back soon." Umber said wisely as he sat in the chair near Neo's bed, leaning back in it.

 **"How long was I out for?"** Neo asked through signing, Umber hummed.

"Almost two days, about thirty two hours." He answered. "You were unconscious, unrested and injured. Makes sense that you would sleep that long, body would try to heal itself." Umber said and Neo frowned, looking around the room again.

 **"How did you get here so fast? Where even are we?"** Neo asked, looking at Umber.

"I've been in this chair, most of your unconscious I was here. We are currently in Mr. Xiao Long's home, who was been welcoming. Far more than his daughter." Umber added at Neo's scowl, then her frown turned to a smirk.

 **"You care about me, that's adorable."** She signed with a smug look, even fluttering her eyelashes. Umber snorted, standing up.

"Don't flatter yourself, I would be the one cleaning the blood if one of the others was here." Umber stated, moving towards the door but stopping and looking back. "Don't get out of bed, just rest. I'll bring up some food. Don't kill anyone who comes up, please." Umber said calmly then left, leaving the girl to pout. The dapper teen walked through the house, down some stairs and into the kitchen. Inside, Ruby and Wiess sat at the table while Yang was nowhere to be found, her father stood next to the sink and was filling up a glass.

"Mourning." Tai greeted and Umber nodded at him, moving next to the man and kneeling down.

"She's awake." Umber stated and pulled a bowl from the cupboard, fished around for the famed Pumpkin Pete's cereal and pulled some milk from the fridge. Ruby twiddled her thumbs then looked over to the dapper teen.

"Is she okay?" She asked quietly, Umber stopped and nodded.

"Needs some rest, surprising that's all she needs after being unconscious for so long." Umber answered, then disappeared up the stairs again and on the way passed Yang. The blond girl walked into the kitchen, pyjamas still on and hair as frazzled as ever.

"Is the robot actually eating now?" She asked sarcastically, Ruby frowned at her sister.

"Yang!" She said with a disapproving tone, though all the blond did was shrug.

"What? He doesn't eat, doesn't sleep and never takes off that mask of his." She defended, waving her arms about.

"Okay, you've got a point." Taiyang commented, crossing his arms. Weiss stood up and looked at Yang with a scowl.

"Don't be absurd, he probably eats and sleeps in his room." She said, exasperated.

"You know he just does it to keep up appearances." Yang retorted, making the white haired girl grumble and sit down. They were quiet for another minute till Yang noticed Ruby fidgeting in her seat, so she walked over and threw an arm over her shoulders. "What's up, sis?"

"Why do you hate Umber?" She asked, looking up at Yang with questioning eyes. Yang hesitated, but answered honestly.

"Because he's with her." She said seriously, glaring off towards the stairs. Ruby just sighed, then looked up at her sister.

"He's not a robot." She stated firmly, Yang just smirked and looked down at her little sister.

"Wanna bet?"

"Hundred lien." Ruby shot out, Tai took a double take, feeling a bit scared for his wallet.

"What?"

"Deal." Yang quickly said and the pair shook hands, their father sighing as the inevitable loss of money peeked over the horizon. Ruby stood up and immediately started up the stairs, she was so confident to win that she simply threw open the door.

"Hey Umber are-" Ruby stopped talking when she saw the glare from Neo, the only person in the room. "Oh, um. Where is Umber?" She asked awkwardly, the smaller girl just pointed out the window. "Outside? How did he sneak past?" Ruby muttered and closed the door, quickly dashing down the stairs and opening the front door. She looked around for a moment before finding the dapper teen standing near the path into the forest, leaning on his cane with his back to her.

"Good morning, Umber!" Ruby greeted cheerfully as she popped up next to him, grinning at the boy.

"Morning." Umber responded, still looking out at the forest. "What brings you out here?"

"Well I was talking with Yang about something, I betted a hundred len on it and so I'm here to win it. Are you a-" Suddenly Umber raised a hand, silencing her. The dapper teen then turned on his heel, then sprinted towards the house. Ruby followed after a moment of shock, just in time to see Umber skid around the corner in front of her with his tattered coat. "What's wrong?" She asked as she followed the taller teen into the kitchen. The sudden entrance startled Yang and Weiss while Tai just looked up from the sink.

"Atlesian transports, three about to arrive within a minute." Umber reported, still calm as ever as he turned into another doorway and stopped. He turned and looked back at the group, his eyes hinting some fear. "Mention nothing of Neo or I, your survival matters greatly on this." He stated seriously, getting a confused look from the three girls and father. Weiss spoke up.

"Why would they care about either of you?" She asked, not intentionally insulting the pair.

"Neo is a criminal, while I have history with Atlas. It would be best if you ignored any comments involving terrorism and unstable towards me." Umber said as he shot up the stairs, just as the group readied more questions the house started to shake slightly. The four turned and saw a white airship landing outside, they quickly moved towards the front door and opened it just as the occupants of the transport walked out from a ramp. One General Ironwood and one Specialist Winter Schnee, accompanied by two human soldiers who had red markings on their otherwise standard white and grey armour.

"Winter!" Weiss cried excitedly, then coughed and folded her hands over one another. "Hello Winter-" She started to say, but was suddenly embraced by the older Schnee.

"I was scared you didn't make it." Winter said and released Weiss, then stepped back and allowed Ironwood to take control.

"Sorry for the sudden appearance, but we need to talk." He stated, locking eyes with the blond father. Tai nodded and the General turned, gesturing towards the soldier to his right. The man quickly raised a hand and pointed forwards, from the transport came a large group of soldiers, most in blackened armour. One such Atlesian soldier caught Ruby's eye as he passed by her and her father to enter the house, his yellow goggles and balaclava revealing nothing.

"What going on?" Taiyang demanded, gesturing at the soldiers going past.

"Can never be too sure, but the main reason is them." General Ironwood pointed at the three teens, who blinked in surprise. "Right now, you three are the only huntsmen we have a clear location on." He explained. "Those who escaped Vale could be anywhere." That got the girls' attention.

"Wait, others got out?" Ruby asked as they entered through the front door, dodging to the side as a soldier jogged past.

"Yes, we have reports that the Abandoned had created a ring around Vale, apparently to stop the sudden charge of the captured hunters." Winter answered, arms crossed behind her back. The group entered the kitchen, but not before Ruby and Yang caught sight of eight soldiers rushing up the stairs. The smaller girl had an expression of horror while Yang smirked to herself, maybe this would be the day that those two would be dragged out.

"So far our attempts to find the few students that escaped have failed, so instead of going on a wild goose chase we came to the one place that we knew hunters were." Ironwood continued as he and Winter stood next to Tai near the cupboards while the girls sat at the table. "Right now, we have a lot of business to cover. First is a few questions-"

"Nope." Taiyang interrupted, stepping forwards and shaking his hands and head. "You can interrogate someone else's kinds, not mine, not after what they've been through." He stated firmly, the other man sighed.

"I honestly would if I could, but right now they are our only way to knowing what happened to Vale." Ironwood said, the father looked at the man for a moment before nodding hesitantly.

"Try not to open any wounds." He murmured as the man turned and sat at the table. For the next few minutes, thought it felt like hours for the huntresses, they were bombarded with questions of the Abandoned, the other hunters and lastly how they escaped. Then Ruby spoke about the attack only a few nights ago, which changed the calm expression of the General to one of concern. "Right, that's it for now." Ironwood said and turned from the girls. "Might I have a word Tai?" He asked the blond man, who grunted in acknowledgment and followed the General into the living room.

"What is it?" Taiyang asked and the General looked at him with hard eyes, though they held some regret.

"Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose will be taken to Atlas." Those words were quickly followed by a raised hand to halt the blond man's words. "For the reasons that your daughter has just said she was attacked by a person that we have had encountered before, many if not all ending with someone dead." Taiyang gave a deep scowl.

"You better explain a whole lot more, James." He growled.

"Our research into the attacks revealed that the target would be attacked by one, then three, before twenty or more assassins came. All with grey skin, ruined equipment and blood thirsty rage." The man in white shivered, actually shivered. "I've witnessed two attacks, both were more violent than the last. I do this only to protect your daughter, not to tear your family apart." Ironwood explained, watching the blond man pace with a bland look before finally locking eyes with the General.

"You promise she'll be looked after?" He asked softly, soon finding a hand on his shoulder.

"I promise you she will."

"Fine. I'll tell her." Taiyang said and entered the kitchen, looking at Weiss and Ruby. "So, uh, you're leaving." He stated, immediately the heiress perked up while Ruby blinked in confusion.

"Uh, she's leaving, or I am?" She asked and her father sighed.

"Both, you'll be going with Ironwood here to Atlas." Taiyang said and there was an uproar, Yang stood up in sync with her sister.

"WHAT!?" She roared, eyes flashing red. Two soldiers paused as they passed the door, the one with goggles looked at the General and gestured with his rifle at the girl. The man quickly waved him off, so the pair disappeared before Yang slammed her hand down. "You can't just... get us all together and then send off Ruby like this!" She stated angrily, pointing at her father. "You are meant to care for your children, not be like mo-"

"Enough." Taiyang said firmly, silencing Yang. "I don't want to do this, but Ruby's attackers will come back with more. Atlas has the means to defend her, we don't." He explained calmly, watching as his daughter scowled at the General then him. "Yang, please, listen to me, Ruby you too." The blond man turned to the girl, crouching in front of her confused and scared face. "You will come back, you got that. I promise that you'll be fine." The girl suddenly hugged the man, embracing him tightly. When she pulled away, she held a small smile.

"It's like a vacation, right?" She asked, her father nodded.

"Be strong, Rubes. Schnee." Taiyang said and got two heads turned. "You both look after her, or so help me god, I will find you." He growled, then stepped back and looked at Ironwood.

"We'll get underway immediately, come along." He said and the two girls left, after Ruby hugged her sister of course. Yang and Tai moved to follow the three out, but Winter stepped in front of them.

"Apologies, but there is one more thing to discuss." She stated and nodded at another soldier who stood nearby as the rest moved through the door, his yellow goggles staring at the pair of blonds. "Sergeant, the files." She said and the man pulled out some paper files, handing them to her. "Retrieve the rest, Sergeant." The man nodded and left he house, then Winter motioned towards the kitchen and followed the pair into the room, quickly throwing the file down onto the table. "What I am about to tell you is highly classified, tell anyone and you will be arrested and executed for treason." That was harsh, as the expressions of the blonds showed.

The soldier came back holding a large box, it took a moment for Yang to realise it was a computer, an ancient one in her books. The man grunted as he put it onto the table, plugging it in before stepping back and folding his arms behind his back.

"Thank you, Sergeant Black." Winter said without looking back, her attention solely on the two who were scanning over the files. Within them were lines upon lines of criminal offences, such as arson, theft and murder to name a few. Finally, the picture of a male wearing a black, reflective mask staring at the camera. Next to it was a photo of a phoenix, red and yellow painted on a stone wall. "This man is one of Atlas' most wanted, his name isn't known but he always keeps his last name: Iwashita. We have no clue where he came from, or if he works for somebody, all we know is that he is dangerous."

"You can say that again." Yang muttered, looking at the list of crimes that Umber had committed. This made her little fun at the club look like a toddlers first steps, this guy wasn't fooling about. "What's with the TV?" She asked.

"Only way to keep any evidence besides paper copies from being hacked, destroyed or generally broken." Winter answered, voice angry, looks like it had happened before. "It's happened multiple times before." Huh, it did what'd you know? The specialist quickly turned and pressed a button on the the old TV, the screen buzzed loudly before it cleared till the view of a room came into view. Thanks to the outdated tech, the colour was simply black and white, but it still showed enough. The two blonds looked up at Winter with questioning looks, but were just pointed to the screen.

Suddenly, the doors of the room burst open. No sound was heard, but the flashes of gunfire filled the doorway. A body fell into view on the bottom of the screen as a dark figure walked through the doors, some sort of rifle in his hands. The scene switched to the view of a corridor, where three armed soldiers stood with rifles raised. He same figure appeared again, firing in short bursts with deadly accuracy as the three men dropped. Once again the scene changed, this time it was a large open room, like a hanger. Within, there were two more soldiers, both looked bored. Yang narrowed her eyes, didn't they hear the gunshots? The pair seemed to spot something, as they raised their hands and stepped forwards towards the side of the camera.

Unfortunately, they were soon collapsed against the wall and filled with shots, then the masked figure cautiously walked into view and towards the door that the two men were previously guarding. The view changed to that of a scroll camera or at least a computer camera, where the face of another man sat at a desk and typed away at something. Slowly, the form of Umber appeared and a hook with him. Suddenly, the man was jerking wildly and grabbing at the end of what looked like a cane, choking as it strangled him of air. The man stopped struggling after a minute, only to be shoved aside and the camera filled with the suited masked man that both of the blonds recognised. Then the screen flickered black, leaving only their reflections of horror staring back.

"That symbol was found at the scene, alongside six Atlesian soldiers and one worker who were all killed." She stated pointing at the picture of the flaming bird, its wings outstretched as the faint detail of dark splotches near the bottom of the picture became clear. Blood. "Keep the files, contact us if you find any trace of him." She ordered, eyes glaring down before she turned and walked past the soldier who unplugged the TV and followed after her. Yang stared at her father with a bland stare, for once at a loss for words.

"What... what are we gonna do?" She asked and Taiyang shrugged, standing and resting his forearms on the sink's edge. Before he could answer, there was a few thuds above their heads and before Tai could say anything Yang was up the stairs and kicking open the door to the guest room. Inside, Umber stood next to the spare bed that Neo was resting in. The dapper teen turned suddenly, tilting his head at the enraged girl.

"What's... you know." He stated simply as Yang neared him, her fists clenched. Umber didn't move as Yang raised her fist and smashed it against his mask, then she forced him to hunch over before a quick knee to the groin knocked him down. "Ow." Was the last thing Umber said before he was kicked in the jaw, his vision blurred till everything went black. Leaving his subconscious to wonder about what was about to happen, but it was obvious. An interrogation.

* * *

Umber awoke to find himself tied to a chair, in a dark room and with Tai and Yang in front of him. He heard shuffling to his right and spotted a very angry looking Neo, bound on another chair against the wall. The dapper teen returned his attention to the pair of frowning blonds and looked at them for a moment, silently waiting for them to start talking.

"We want answers." Tai started, arms crossed. "Now."

"As you wish." Umber replied, but remained silent afterwards. Yang growled and stepped forwards.

"Well?" She asked angrily and the dapper teen just tilted his head back.

"Can't answer if I don't have questions. That skill, far beyond me." Umber answered calmly, Yang started to snarl something but her father thankfully interrupted.

"We have this." He raised a blue file and slapped it down onto the dapper teen's lap, who looked down at it then back at Taiyang.

"Which is?" He asked calmly, before grunting at his unamused glare. "An Atlesian Military file, obviously, but on who?" He asked, before getting hit over the head by an angry Yang.

"Quit being a smartass." She growled and Umber turned his head slightly, even without seeing his face the glare was obvious.

"Ms. Xiao Long, if you have failed to see, I can't flip these pages before me." He stated as he shook his hands, still against the chair. So the girl flipped open the files, found a page and slammed it back down. Umber took a moment to read over the list of words, then to gander at his photograph before looking up. "Kill orders, false. No deaths by my hand." He stated, looking directly at Tai. Yang slapped him again and the boy turned to her. "Explanation? Fine, I will answer any questions that only the ears in this room will hear. Do understand that what I tell you could end your lives prematurely."

"In what way?" Yang asked, then paused. "Also, how are we meant to know if you are telling the truth?"

"In the sense that Atlas would hunt you down, through fire or cold, to kill you." Umber answered, ignoring the second question. Taiyang thought for a moment before sighing.

"Fine, what is your actual name?" He gave in, the dapper teen paused for a moment.

"Umber Iwashita." Was the answer.

"Bullshit." Was the quick response from Yang, who stepped in front of Umber and glared at him.

"Names, Ms. Xiao Long, can kill. Mine would in only days." He stated coldly, Tai spoke before anymore punches were thrown.

"What are you? Not huntsman, that's for sure." He said and Umber seemed eager to answer that question.

"Contractor." He answered, then added at the sight of confused stares. "Doing illegal work for payment, no job turned down unless it was necessary for me." He stated, turning to Neo. "Not a criminal in the sense, but close enough to earn that title."

"Did you kill those workers?" Taiyang asked, getting a quick return of Umber's attention.

"No." He answered, cold and serious. Yang jumped at the opportunity to prove the boy wrong.

"We got video proof!" She stated smugly, staring at Umber with a smirk.

"Given, no doubt, by Winter Schnee, specialist for Atlas." Umber said coldly, getting a surprised blink and face from the blond girl. "Specialist Schnee twists things, pointing fingers while guilty. Everything said, change it, put in the words of a judge. She seems innocent, no?" He chuckled quietly. "Atlas themselves killed those men, failure to complete their task and survival would have been a bit too suspicious. Took out the evidence, no more survivors." Umber finished, Tai swallowed and asked yet another question.

"What were they doing?" He asked quietly, cautiously.

"Finding incriminating information, or planting it, on Vale officials. Illegal data farms, not unlike Atlas spooks, though would've expected it from the ASF, not the main branch." Umber muttered to himself, then turned back to the blonds. "Now a question of my own. Why was the Atlesian Military here?" He asked calmly, tilting his head. Yang was the one to answer, surprisingly.

"They were looking for huntsmen from Vale, anyone who escaped capture basically." She answered, her fiery glare gone.

"Atlas looking for hunters? Not good, never good." The dapper teen said and saw the question growing. "I originally thought there were many more hunters that had escaped capture, not just RWBY and I." He stated, the caught the eye of Tai. He was as white as a ghost, his expression one of fear.

"What do you mean?" Yang asked curiously, unfortunately Taiyang jumped down Umber's throat before he could answer.

"Nothing, just nonsense." He stated firmly, glaring at Umber.

"Perhaps, explain in your own time." Umber said cryptically, before resuming his usual calm. "Atlas made a great risk coming here, to even debrief you is highly strange." Yang thought it over, simply nodding in agreement soon after. "Now, can we return to trust? Or at least an alliance at the moment?" He asked, looking over to Tai. The blond man sighed.

"Fine, but if you are lying to us..." He trailed off as Umber calmly stood up from the chair and dropped the rope bindings, the file in his hands. "How the hell-?"

"The illusion of power, better to play along than to endure a beating." Umber answered, then as he walked past the pair he gestured towards Neo. "Better get her bindings off, however I prefer to have my body in one piece. Good luck." The dapper teen called over his shoulder as he left the small room, both blonds turned to each other before slowly looking over to the fuming girl. Neo's scowl said it all, there would be pain.

 **Done! Alrighty, so I got something to talk about for the future of this story. I have this idea that can be basically summed up with Volumes, this being the first. Now, I've already planned out the next one in the first little bit, but what I'm really doing it for is to reorganise everything. Since the Breach, the chapters changed, people died and a whole lot more that mostly involved too many side arcs. This new Volume would be more organised, so a better experience for you lot.**

 **Other than that, the end of this Volume is at 40 chapters, so not too far now. Next chapter is Umber, after that... I dunno, I'll get there. Cheers.**


	28. An Occupational Hazard

**Big thanks to my friend once more, who is basically the writer of these chapters, I just clean 'em up. Also to Remnant7, I'm sure that if any of BRAS were there it'd be one sided. Not gloating, but these fuckers are OP. I'll tell my friend that you liked what he's got, he is a good writer, eh?**

 **I am extremely happy that this finally got out, not only because it's been like three months, but because I dislike having nothing for you lot to read. Hopefully these hiatus runs don't go on like this again, hopefully. Enjoy this behemoth chapter my friends.**

The water lapped gently against the hull of the ferry, its passengers mostly civilians and three certain people. Yang stood on the deck of the ferry, leaning on the railing and looking out towards the large mass that was Vale. Just another trip for her, but a first on this ferry. It was outdated, barely used and basically a historical artefact in her eyes. But Umber did say it was the best way into the occupied land, and that the other, most used ferry, was damaged and kept in the Vale dry dock.

Yang wouldn't say it aloud, but she was lonely. Her sister was probably in Atlas by now, being 'protected' by the military. At least she has Weiss, whose family could probably do better. Blake was gone, probably told to run by that fucker Raiko, and now her father wasn't exactly happy with her. Last night, Yang interrogated her father and got the truth. Only they got out, the rest of the hunters were either dead or captured and he withheld that information to keep them with him, for 'safety'. Her instincts called in and wanted to go back to the city, but Taiyang was stubborn. Far too stubborn, but not as stubborn as his daughter. Her concerned father watched her pack a couple bags and storm out.

Then she heard Umber and Neo come up behind her, barely ten minutes down the worn path. She swore aloud and turned to glare at the pair, who had their own bags.

"Piss off." She snarled and Umber sighed, leaning on his cane. The blond turned back and quickened her pace, trying to lose the dapper teen. Umber and Neo merely followed at a casual speed.

"You should think this through." Umber stated loudly, twirling his cane, subconsciously in sync with Neo, who blinked in surprise. "I won't stop you, though listening to me is imperative for your own sake." Yang groaned and spun back around, crossing her arms and dropping her bag.

"One minute, one." She said with a scowl and Umber immediately started.

"Favours, a currency I find to be very valuable, most do in this line of work. Two favours are owed to you and your father." Umber explained calmly, Yang then pointed back the way they had came.

"Then go and do my father a favour, cause mine is for you to piss off." Yang snapped and Umber shook his head.

"Shouldn't waste a favour, not very smart. Right now I am doing your father a favour, keeping him from seeing you in a casket. His words. Kill two birds with one stone, get you back to your fellow students and finish this favour." Umber stated cheerfully, sarcasm tinting his words. Yang jerked her chin at Neo.

"What about her?" She asked with a snarl, Neo locked eyes with the blond and started signing. Umber watched her hands fly and nodded his head.

"Ignoring the profanity, insults and such, this was the easiest way back to Vale." He answered for the girl, who glared at him. "What? Do you want me to say them?" He asked and the girl nodded. "No."

"Fine." Yang grunted and waited for the pair before walking again. Not long after they had hopped aboard the ferry and were on the waves.

Her daydreams were interrupted by the call from another passenger of 'Vale!' It didn't take long for the blond to realise that going straight in wouldn't work, they'd be captured. So she pushed off the rail and walked into the cabins belowdecks to find Umber. Yet to her ever growing dismay, she found only Neo leaning against the notice board. It was decorated with old newspaper clippings, but with the major addition of a handwritten note of the new guardians of the kingdom of Vale.

"Where's Umber?" She grumpily asked Neo, who shrugged. "It's important." She hissed, glaring around at an older couple talking past. Neo shrugged again, but pointed at the bathroom door just to their right. Then, as if she had spoken of the devil himself, Umber walked out of the door quickly, Yang had a slight suspicion that this was planned. "Oi, we got a big problem and not much of a plan-" The concerned voice of Yang was interrupted by Neo reaching out and sliding her finger along Umber's brown shirt and rubbing her fingers together. They were covered by blood. Yang and Neo turned to him with terrified and curious looks respectfully.

"Any questions can wait, meet me in the cargo bay in two minutes." He stated and strode across the room and pushed a pair of rooms open and disappeared inside as they swung lazily. Suddenly a group of men in black suits came down the stairs and looked around quickly before one of them pointed towards the swinging doors, a golden ring on his middle finger shining under the light. They charged through the doors and past the two girls, Yang went to follow them but felt something yank on her hand.

"What?!" She almost screamed at Neo, who had Yang's wrist caught with her parasol's handle. The smaller girl tapped an imaginary watch and cocked an eyebrow. Surprisingly, the blond made it a minute by running on the spot before glancing at the clock and sprinting through the cargo bay doors. Immediately the girl was stopped by a flying body, one of the suited men, slamming into the wall just in front of her. His hand gripped a pistol, with a large suppressor on its barrel. She looked to where the man came from and saw a few crates and most curiously a pair of black vans. Yang flicked her gauntlets on and cocked them before moving cautiously through the cargo, Neo behind her making barely a whisper.

They heard a loud thud and some grunted and popped around one of the vans, finding Umber and a few more of the men. He had one of them in a headlock and at his feet three more lay. He looked up and tightened his hold on the man's neck, his fearful eyes popping out of his now blue face before his eyes rolled. The dapper teen checked his watch, then shook his head and dropped the unconscious man.

"Fifteen seconds early, watch might be fast, should fix that." Umber stated as he yanked the golden ring off the man's finger, Yang just gaped at him while Neo looked indifferent. "Assistance would be appreciated." He said and Neo immediately knew what he was asking and flipped over one of the suited guys and took off his ring, Yang joined the pair in taking the rings. "And the guns, ammo as well." Add that to the list. Soon Yang had three rings, emblazoned with a golden anvil and sword. She and Neo handed over their loot and Umber nodded, taking the rings and pocketing them before checking the clips for the guns. "Seven makes the total." He muttered, it took a moment for Yang to frown.

"There were only five here?" She wondered aloud and Umber waved a clip gripping hand in her direction.

"Two in the engine rooms." He answered and Yang blinked.

"Why were you-?" Almost to spite her, the ship rocked and the sound of a loud bang echoed around the bay, the force of the explosion knocked them slightly off balance. At least for Umber, as both Yang and Neo fell into a pile. They looked up at Umber, who was making his way back towards the doors, they untangled themselves and followed after. They reached the top deck and glanced around, finding a large pillar of smoke rising from the stern of the ferry and a certain dapper teen with his cane hook on the roof.

"That's why." He answered calmly then jerked his head. "Let's go, emergency situations call for lifeboats." He stated and lead the pair onto the roof, and to a seprate life boat. It was just a rowboat, but it was enough to get them the rest of the way.

* * *

Umber popped the manhole cover up and peered around cautiously before pushing it up and across, quickly leaping out of the drain and reaching down to help Yang up. But of course she smacked his hand aside and got out herself, Neo did take his hand however and was pulled a few inches too much for her comfort before landing on her feet. Yang didn't hesitate to tear into the boy.

"Three questions buddy." Yang snapped as her eyes flashed red. "Why did you blow up that ferry? Why did you kill those guys in suits?! Why did you drag us through the sewers?!" Yang growled angrily, Umber turned calmly and stepped up to her.

"To avoid the customs and searches once we reached Vale, I killed those men because they would've done the same to me, without hesitation. They are from an older line of work, believing I cheated them. Lastly, we went through the storm drain to avoid being instantly captured." Umber answered, the reflection of Yang's red eyes staring back at her. She didn't step down yet.

"How did you know that explosion wouldn't kill people? Also that whole 'believing' you cheated them thing?" She asked with a sneer, Umber stared at the girl in an uncomfortable silence.

"I designed it to cause a hole that wasn't repairable to sink the ship slowly, granted enough time for an evacuation." Umber leaned forwards suddenly, tilted his head ever so slightly. "Do not question my integrity when it involves business, Ms. Xiao Long." He leaned back. "Those suits wanted an Atlesian prototype, one that wouldn't perform to their expectations, I warned them but they ignored it. Prototype failed, blame was stuck to me." The dapper teen stated, stepping away from the stunned girl. "Now, let's move before we attract attention."

With that, Neo and Yang were led by Umber through many side streets, alleyways and small service streets. The half hour they took dodging patrols of Abandoned soldiers gave the group different feelings. Yang felt hatred, deep and well deserved in her eyes. Neo was indifferent, if not a little annoyed at the constant stopping and starting. Umber was curious, always taking long looks at the soldiers' armour and weapons. He heard them talking, their voices harsh and deep and fulled with hatred. One such chat he listened to was about a character named Devrok, whoever that was and how he owed somebody money.

"Where are we going?" Yang asked as the day neared its end, the sun setting.

"My place." Umber said and looked around, their latest stop was in a small, abandoned plaza.

"And how far is that?" Yang asked, patience wearing thin. Suddenly, children's laughter and chatter grew louder. A small group of giggling kids, their faces dirty, bobbed around the teens, smiles shining with innocence. They started to disappear around the corner before the dapper teen's hand shot out and grabbed the scuff of a boy's coat, dragging him back and holding his hand out. The boy's surprise was shared with Neo and Yang, he tried to look around Umber at them but Umber shook his head.

"Don't look at them, look at me. Give me what I want, now." Umber ordered, his voice not the usual calm as before. Yang seemed ready to step in before the brown haired boy tore three wallets from his coat and shoved them into the waiting hand, almost instantly Yang recognised that one of them was her wallet. "Good attempt, distraction and lift were on point. You target choice was very poor, trying to rob a masked man." Umber's voice now held an unexpected tone of approval, which Neo nodded to while Yang blinked. "Risk doesn't always give reward." The child's face was filled with a mix of terror and surprise, fortunately Umber continued. "Find you boss, tell him to meet me in the usual place."

"P-Pitbull?" The child asked, voice squeaking. Umber nodded.

"Go." He said simply and dropped the boy, who immediately broke into a dash and skidded around the corner. The dapper teen turned around and tossed two of the stolen wallets back to their owners, then began to walk away. "Two minutes, then we'll be there."

True to Umber's word, it was two minutes before they stopped before an old and rusty warehouse. The dapper teen walked to an old fashioned fuse box, which opened up to a very modern looking password lock. He punched in the combination and the rickety looking door popped open, Umber led the two girls into the building. They gaped in awe at the vault-like door that seemed so rusted from the outside, then Umber walked past them and towards a hallway.

"Grand tour awaits, come." He said and started down the hallway, a few doors on the sides. The one the right was the first they poked their heads in, Umber waiting as the pair of girls curiously glanced about. They found themselves in a kitchen, which was immaculate and without a speck of dust. There was a large refrigerator to the side alongside several appliances on the benches next to it, in the middle was a counter that had a few hanging pans and such above it. Then their eyes landed on the shelves. Yang gaped in awe at the sight of thousands, or at least hundreds, of packets and cans of food. On the other half of the large room was a dinning table, circular and made of oak, with six chairs around it.

Neo checked the other two doors, finding a pair of identical bathrooms. Stalls and sinks, at least three to each room, and a few shower heads along the wall. When Yang looked in she immediately realised that it was two bathrooms for men and woman, guess Umber did respect some sort of privacy. Soon Umber coughed and continued the 'tour', stepping into a large circle, concrete room. The back wall looked like the parking space, as a large black van and a transport truck were parked there. Next to that was a staircase and another door next to it, Yang moved towards it but the dapper teen grunted.

"Come, time isn't infinite." He stated, pointing his cane towards another blank wall. Yang crossed her arms, jutting her chin out.

"What's up there?" She asked and Umber answered immediately.

"Containment cells, high grade. Impossible to escape." He stated and Neo starting signing.

 **"Why do you have cells in your home? What are you into?"** She asked with a smug grin, Umber ignored the second question.

"Certain situations call for very specific needs." Umber said calmly and Neo facepalmed, then the dapper teen shrugged. "Sue me." Yang and Neo blinked in surprise.

"Was... was that a joke?" The blond asked and Umber shrugged again, before turning and pressing one of the stone panels on the wall. It flipped open and revealed another password lock, which the boy punched in quickly. The entire wall suddenly moved inwards and then split apart, revealing a large freight elevator. Umber turned and gestured with a hand towards the metal contraption.

"Ladies, or girls, first." He said and followed the pair inside, pressing a pretty big and unnecessary button. However he stopped just before he pressed the button, turning his head slightly. "Remember, not even the darkest hole can hide you from me. If you betray me after what I show you, the consequences will be severe. My moral code and philosophy, unquestionable, simply accept them." With that the elevator shuddered then started to descend into the darkness, the only light being from the dim red light above them. "The previous owners, specialised in shady business, had built a living off hazardous chemicals. They brought this little book only a month before going bankrupt, pointless to search for them. You'll never find a trace." Umber stated, his voice had a surprising tone of pride.

The elevator suddenly slowed with a jerk and halted its descent, Umber walked out and turned to the pair. Then with a raised hand he pressed a large button that remained unseen for only a moment, then revealed with a flood of white light. That wasn't the only thing to be revealed, as Yang and Neo slowly looked around in awe.

"Wow." Was all that Yang said, Umber hummed.

"Welcome to the lodge." Was the strangely sarcastic introduction from Umber, waving a hand behind him. The light shone down from the roof, some hundred metres above them. The walls could barely be seen past the shelves and crates, though it seemed around fifty or so metres from the elevator. "You could find anything you would need inside these crates, all two thousand of them."

"Is that so? Then what's in that one?" Yang asked suddenly, pointing at a wooden crate with unusual markings. Umber locked unseen eyes with the smug looking blond, then turned on his heel and walked over to the shelves and pulled a clipboard off the side.

"Four antitank, guided rocket launchers. From the Atlesian Military." Umber stated and looked up when Neo clicked her fingers a few times, when she had the dapper teen's attention she pointed to another crate on the shelf next to him. It was small and on the lowest shelf, Umber checked the catalog and glanced up. "Atlas Scorch, one hundred and fifty years old. Flavour still burns." He answered, putting the clipboard back and wandering down the massive aisles. The girls followed after the dapper teen, finally exiting the maze-like shelves into an open area with eight shipping containers, each with wooden stairs and ladders connecting them with large spray painted words and symbols on the front and sides. Alpha, Sigma, Gamma, Delta, Theta, Omega, Eta and finally Iota.

Along the ground next to the containers were a number of tables, benches and stacks of tools. Workbenches for weapons, ammo smiths for custom rounds and even an old smithy forge, they were all here. A few weapons hung from racks, one which Yang could tell her sister would drool over. Over to the side was a shooting range, with wooden targets set up at different lengths from a row of bricks. Next to that was a padded area where gym equipment and weights sat, Yang's eye caught the boxing ring immediately and she had a perked interest.

"Come along." Umber called and regained the girls' attention, motioning towards a strange hexagon shaped hut behind the containers. When they all entered they saw a large round table in the middle of the room, a blue holographic sphere hovering in the centre. The walls around them covered with monitors. Umber approached the table and the sphere flickered, now showing their planet as the teen explained its purpose to Yang.

Who simply nodded and smiled, completely fucking lost on its actual purpose.

However, Umber ignores her completely baffled look and left the room. Neo poked her head out and saw the dapper teen climb up into one of the large containers, then both she and Yang clambered up and peered inside the 'Sigma' crate. Inside was basically a walk-in wardrobe, with a pair of dressers and a closet against the walls. Umber was walking from one dresser to another, in his hand was a black mask, identical to the one that he was wearing, bar the cracks. He pulled a box from a drawer and a shirt from the closet next to it, throwing it over his shoulder. Then the dapper teen glanced over to the pair, pulled two black rectangles from a small drawer and held them up.

"Catch." He said and threw the objects to the girls, both catching them with ease. They saw that the objects were actually boxes, which they pulled open to find a single scroll each, though their colour was a jet black. The dapper teen walked past Neo and Yang and motioned them to follow, taking the chance to explain the gifts. "Those scrolls are special. Unhackable, untraceable and near impossible to breach the security. Taken from Atlas, modified by myself." He stated as they exited the maze of shelves and entered the elevator, Umber pressed the button again and the elevator started to rise back to the surface. "They have a connection to the Lodge, the encryption hides messages from the outside world, from prying eyes." Umber finished with a hum, then the elevator stopped and they walked out into the loading area.

"Thanks." Yang said quietly, Umber nodded at her before turning to the finger-clicking Neo.

 **"Thank you, Umber. I'm sure to put this to great use."** Somehow, that little sentence was signed in a very suggestive way. Umber shrugged, then pulled his shirt over his head. Yang glanced up from her new scroll and gaped, staring with Neo at the teen.

"Take a picture, lasts longer than memory. One time opportunity." He added, Neo unsurprisingly took a picture since, well, it's Neo. Yang merely watched the confirmed human boy in ragged pants, ruined shoes and with an even worse shirt walk down the hall and turn into one of the bathrooms, hopefully the boys. Yang glanced over to Neo, finding her already going through the settings of the scroll, but she had something much more important to do. The blond opened up the messaging app and created a group, inviting Blake, Weiss and importantly Ruby.

Almost immediately, Weiss and Ruby joined.

 _"Yang?"_ Ruby asked.

 _"Sure is Sis."_ Yang replied with a smile, then Weiss sent her text.

 _"Prove that you are Yang."_ The Blond understood the unease and took a quick selfie, popping it over to the chat. It took a second before her scroll was lit up by messages, it buzzed like a hive as she watched the questions fly by. Unfortunately, before she could even attempt to answer them there was a loud click that echoed through the warehouse. Neo and Yang exchanged looks before pocketing their scrolls and moving towards the hallway. Neo herself looked extremely on edge, which in turn unnerved Yang. The silent girl was usually wearing a smug look, this change was weird. They turned the corner and immediately spotted a figure at the end of the hall, fiddling with something.

The two girls rushed down the hall, Yang grabbed the shady character and slammed him against the wall, fist ready to smash bone. Next to her, Neo raised her parasol and extended the thin blade within it before levelling it at the figure's face.

"Shit fuck! Umber it's me!" The boy screamed, catching the pair of teens holding him off guard. Yang would've dropped the kid, if the bathroom door didn't slam open and out came the dapper teen. He held an assault rifle in his hands, which flicked to the end of the hallway before coming to a stop at the trio who stood like deers in headlights.

"What are you doing to Pipsqueak?" He asked, though both of the teens were too distracted to answer him. Neo and Yang expected that the teen wouldn't be overly fat, but it seemed like the boy didn't have an ounce of it on his body. But this didn't draw their eyes, it was the tattoos. The tattoos and scarred body they lay upon. His entire left shoulder was simply a burn mark, wrinkled and red skin that hurt to look at. The other shoulder looked similar, his collar bone had marks of what could only have been a savage animal or Grimm. His right bicep had a line of stitches along the skin, over his heart was a phoenix, the same one from Winter's folder.

A black chained dogtag hung around his neck, which looked new, Yang couldn't remember seeing it. Alongside the single tag was a black ring, made of glass. Over his ribs were lines of text, in a language that neither girl knew of. Then, just under the left shoulder burn, was a collection of dots, within each dot was a different colour, symbol and shapes. Ten dots, in two lines, their meaning also unknown to the girls. His abs were torn to bits, three scarred bullet holes, two long and clean scars and one more than ran below his belt. Somehow, through either magic or plot points, were the marks on his arms. Yang and Neo exchanged confused glances before examining them.

Umber moved the gun, revealing a bar code over his right wrist, which was covered by a scar. His left wrist bore the mark of a cursive C, surrounded by a laurel wreath. Then, to end off his mess of a body, Umber's right side was completely covered with bruises. A strangely beautiful mix of blacks, blues and yellows in some areas. The silence was broken by 'Pipsqueak'.

"First off, its Pitbull. Secondly, did you get hit by a fucking train? Like damn." The boy said with heavy sass in his voice, Umber looked down at the bruises and gently put a finger on them, hissing in pain.

"If said train was the girl holding your head, underdeveloped and full of bad ideas... then yes." The dapper teen nodded, the boy grinned at Yang, giving the girl a wink. The blond merely put more pressure to the boy's neck, turning away to look at Umber as he started choking.

"Who is this asshat?" She asked, disgust filling her voice. The dapper teen hummed before answering.

"A guest, killing him isn't gonna help." He answered, Yang huffed and dropped the kid, letting him cough on the ground. "He may be your best bet for rescuing your friends, escort him to the kitchen. Try not to kill him, please." Umber said with an emotionless voice, then went back into the bathroom to continue getting changed. The trio entered the kitchen and awkwardly stood about, Yang leaned against the bench while Neo sat on top of it and kicked her legs slightly. Pipsqueak simply tapped his foot and winked at Yang again. It was barely a minute before Umber entered, now wearing a new pair of black shoes, cobalt dress pants and a white shirt, its sleeves rolled up. The kid walked up to the dapper teen with a smirk.

"First up, mad respect. I knew that you were all egdy, but mate, two chicks? How long have you been bashing that?" He asked and flicked his thumb towards Yang, whose eyes turned red and her face slowly turned to a snarl. Umber quickly tried to diffuse the situation.

"Pip is the head of an information gathering net, largest this side of Remnant. If anyone can find your friends, or any hunters, it'll be him." Umber stated, putting a box onto the dining table and opening it. He pulled a pair of gauntlets out, black in colour and made of tiny segmentated plates for maximum protection. He pulled them on then over them a pair of black gloves, stretching his fingers in them. Pipsqueak groaned loudly.

"Yeah, yeah, that's all cool and all, like me. But you didn't answer my question." He said and crossed his arms, Umber turned and started at the boy.

"There hasn't been any 'bashing', as you put." The dapper teen almost spat, but the boy just smirked.

"Of course. So she's free game?" He asked cheekily, Umber just turned his masked glare at him. The boy slid over to the bench and leaned on it, grinning at Yang with a shit eating grin. "Heyyy." He greeted and flicked out a finger gun. "Did you sit on sugar, coz you got one hell of a sweet ass!"

Usually, Yang was all for flirty banter. Not now though, her friends are in trouble and she needs to save them. This little shit was wasting time, so she snapped. Her hair burst into flames, her eyes turned red as she yelled in rage and sent a punch at Pipsqueak's face. The punch would've shattered Aura and bone, destroyed buildings and rocked the world... if it hit her intended target. Her eyes widened as she found her fist caught by Umber's hand, his gauntlets made of metal so cold she could feel it through her flames.

"Progress would be made if you left these proceedings, immediately." Umber stated calmly, Yang opened her mouth to argue but the boy spoke once more. "This isn't a suggestion." The blond glared at the blank mask and yanked her hand back.

"Fine." She hissed and walked out, hair still burning, the door shut behind her and she started pacing. After fifteen or so minutes the door opened and Yang quickly turned towards it, finding Umber walking out. He had the last of his three piece suit, a cobalt coat with a black tie. He only had two buttons done up and a red handkerchief sticking out of his breast pocket. Neo was the next to walk out, with a smug and mischievous smile on her face. She hopped past the blond and did a thumbs up, her other hand holding a bag

Lastly, was the shit-for-brains Pipsqueak, who held his crotch and waddled down the hall towards the front door. Once he had truely left and the door clicked shut, Yang dashed in a blur up to the dapper dressed teen.

"What did he say!?" She all but screamed at him, Umber merely hummed.

"The remaining hunters are being held at the docks, the thirty second pier in a makeshift POW prison." He answered calmly, but Yang picked up on something he said.

"The 'remaining hunters'? What does that mean?!" She barked and Umber simply looked at her.

"From the network, a small number are missing. We can't be too sure." As soon as the dapper teen said that, Yang was sprinting towards the door. Yet when a cold hand landed on her shoulder she stopped. "You know the where, but not the who, who or why. You current course of action isn't the best."

"Then what is, 'smart guy'?" She sneered. "We won't get anything just sitting here."

"As a matter of fact, we will." Umber stated calmly. "Pip will give up all the information we need before sunset." Umber said to a befuddled Yang, who blinked in surprise.

"Why would he do that?" She asked and Umber hummed again.

"Double standard payment, as well as previous services he still needs to pay for." He answered as he put a hand to his ribs, interrupting Yang as she was about to poke around to find any holes in the dapper teen's plan. He leaned over to the counter but missed slightly, Yang caught him just as he started to fall towards the ground.

"Hey, you alright?" She asked as she helped Umber onto a seat, the boy nodded in response.

"Fractured ribs aren't the best, Ms. Xiao Long." He answered and Yang cringed, she tried to speak but Umber interrupted her. "You are going through a lot, I understand, but if you want your colleagues then you must trust me." He said seriously before pulling out a scroll and tapping on it. "Go get Neo, I'll show you the weakness of the Abandoned armour." Yang frowned.

"How would you know their weaknesses?" She asked and Umber glanced up.

"I fought team BRAS, they wear the same armour. Their leader, however, didn't." He answered. "Memory serves me well." With that Yang went off to find the petite girl. When they returned, Umber gave them an hour long lesson on the cons of the occupying forces' armour, concentrated on the knights as the dapper teen called them. The eye holes, joints, heavy weight and conductive armour were all taught, yet there was nothing on their fighting styles. Apparently, they were too diverse. At least he told them that the soldiers hit hard, very helpful. "Time for bed, need the rest." He suddenly stated and Yang frowned, checking her scroll.

"It's only nine and we feel fine." She stated, fighting off the incoming yawn. The dapper teen merely nodded towards Neo, whose head slipped off her hand and smacked onto the table, waking her instantly with wide eyed surprise. Umber shook his head.

"Just peachy. Look, the next seven hours is all Pipsqueak needs to get us the information, a necessity to breakout your friends. Half an hour is all we need to for planning." He stated calmly and Yang sighed.

"I guess." She said tiredly, the dapper teen nodded and stood up. Soon there were three mattresses on the floor of the office that overlooked the loading bay, a part of the tour that Umber hadn't shown them. For good reason, it was bare bones except for a comfortable red chair. The trio didn't retire though, merely sitting about. Neo watched a gore filled movie on her scroll as she sat on her bed. Umber was reading a book in the chair while Yang typed away at her scroll, talking with her friend and sister. She suddenly spoke up as the dapper teen neared the ending of his story.

"Does Actium ring a bell?" She asked quietly, Umber perked up and looked over in what seemed like genuine interest.

"In what context?" He asked curiously.

"Well, Ruby and Weiss said that they overheard General Ironwood say something about it." She answered and Umber hummed.

"It is a coastal town, though more of a fortress, in Atlas. It holds the line alongside many other fronts, right now your sister is as save as she could possibly be." He said calmly, yet Yang snorted.

"Tell that to the grey guy who attacked her." She mumbled.

"Ten mile sensor grids, a large response team not including off duty personal, two Atlesian battleships and countless missiles that sleep under the ground." He responded casually, getting looks of surprise from both the blond and Neo. "Infiltration was a thought, one that I almost seriously followed through." Slowly, Yang grew tired and put her scroll down. She closed her eyes and slept, though not for long.

* * *

The blade, coiled and burning, rushed towards my chest, the grinning snarl staring at me. I felt the cold, unbearable cold fly through my veins. The towering knight yanked the blade from my chest and raised it, a growing snarling tearing through the burning landscape of ruin and bodies.

* * *

Yang shot up and gasped, sweat dripping from her face. She felt her heart threatening to burst from her chest, just like the blood did in her dream.

"Evening." A voice came from her right, Umber, sitting on the red chair with a coffee table in front of him. He was fiddling with something on the small table, his mask reflecting the light off something. She turned her head to find a window looking out over a shady looking club, not Junior's but just as filthy. The dapper teen's blue coat was hung over his cane, which leaned against the wall nearby. In its place was a harness that ran under his arms, a pair of holsters strapped to them. He looked up from the table and watched the blond.

"How long have you been awake?" She grumbled.

"Nightmares. Injuries within them aren't felt, but somehow each scar given is amplified tenfold." He said calmly, ignoring the question as he raised the object he was fiddling with and turned it about. "You and I have very different dreams, yet they are far more common than we could ever think." He nodded to himself and slid the object into the holster under his arm, Yang realised it was a handgun. "Perhaps we should compare notes, information that we've gathered?" He asked and Yang shrugged.

"Got nothing better to do." She said, then blinked in surprise when the dapper teen disappeared. She turned and found him by the door, his black mask staring at her.

"We may be awake, but Neo needs her rest. She fell asleep only moments ago." He said softly, the blond turned and found the small girl lying on her mattress, face red as if she had been crying. "It's curious. Resisting tears and putting on a mask to deal with grief, yet once any sliver of friendliness is shown it crumbles like a ruin. Those barriers so carefully built to only open in the worst of times." He hummed quietly as he lead Yang to the kitchen, giving her a good view of all that was on the harness. Besides the pistol was a knife and a few pouches.

The knife was serrated along the back of the blade, with an angled handle. But there was little time to think about it as they entered the kitchen and Umber began to made coffee, asking Yang to describe her dream. She sat on one of the chairs and sighed.

"It's always this massive knight, killing me by putting a sword through my chest. Bastard looks like Raiko, sometimes I think it really is. It's just... it doesn't feel like it is him." She finally muttered as Umber placed a mug of hot coffee in front of her. "What does it mean?" She asked the dapper teen.

"I could act the part of a therapist, twisting your words and problems to force you to solve the problem. However, I know that you'd hate that. My only advice is that this isn't going to be solved instantly, you need to free yourself of the chains that mark you." He said calmly and Yang chuckled.

"Thanks Sensei, that was utterly useless advice." She stated and Umber chuckled lightly, staring at her. "I mean, that was cliche. You trying your honest best to help me get over my problems, while having your own." Yang laughed and sipped at the coffee, only to find it to be a pretty good hot chocolate. Umber looked away and hummed.

"I wish. I knew what I did, or didn't do, and all the consequences of it. I will be haunted to my last dying breath." He stated coldly, causing Yang to look up at him. "But that is besides the point. Quality in questions is lacking, I have been quite forthcoming in the past few days." He said and Yang shrugged.

"I guess." She answered hesitantly.

"Very good." The dapper teen stated, remaining silent. Once again, it took Yang little time to figure out that he was waiting for her to ask a question.

"Right, well, where the hell did you get that rifle?" She asked. "From the bathroom when that kid walked in?" Umber hummed, then stood up and walked over to a random wall. With a gentle kick to it, a small portion opened up and a small arsenal was revealed. Umber turned and stared at Yang.

"You've been within reach of a firearm this entire time." He answered, a hint of pride in his voice.

"What about those gauntlets, what are they even had of? They were so... cold." She shivered and Umber walked towards her. Yang grew nervous until the dapper teen waved a hand over the table and a screen popped out and buzzed to life. It was a camera system, showing the door outside the warehouse and a figure standing in front of it. The figure looked up at the camera, revealing himself as Pip.

"I learned my lesson, I'm even knocking!" He said, though the camera feed made his voice a bit buzzy. Umber turned to Yang.

"We have a visitor, see him in while I get his payment." The dapper teen said calmly and walked out of the kitchen, the blond followed after but turned left and walked down the hall to the door. She paused and took a breath.

"Don't punch his face, don't punch his face." She muttered and opened the door. Yang expected some comment from Pipsqueak but the boy merely walked past her, not looking at her. He had his hands in his pockets, head down and a determined stride towards the dapper teen, who held a thick envelope.

"Good evening Pip, there's hot chocolate on-" Umber was interrupted however, when Pipsqueak thrust a small black box into his chest. The boy looked up at the black mask with eyes that were filled with fear.

"That's it, I don't want anything to do with this, got that?" He stated firmly. "Those guys are fucking crazy, like actual lunatics. I'd never stick my head out for this, not even for a load of money, not anymore." The boy said shakily, Umber put a hand on the coated boy's shoulder and looked him in the eyes.

"Wait here." He said and walked down the hall, after a few seconds he came back with a piece of paper that had many numbers and words on it. "Call it a bonus, along with the agreed amount." Umber extended the paper and envelope, which the boy took and shoved in his coat but held the paper cautiously.

"The hell is this?"

"A gateway to the Fold, you know of it." Umber answered and like that the boy was smiling like an American on the Fourth of July, what ever the hell those were. "Call that number, say the name and list me as a sponsor. The others should take you through the rest." Pipsqueak was at a loss, but still found the words to say.

"Why now, after I just basically told you to shove it?... and hitting on her and the other girl." Pip added in a mutter.

"Because of a line, a line that wasn't crossed by yourself." Umber stated calmly. "Even in the face of wealth you remained steadfast. Anyway, we have some 'lunatics' to piss off, enjoy your day Pip."

"Yeah sure, have fun." The boy said and cheerily walked out the door, which shut behind him. Then the faint sound of his cheers pierced the thick door, making Umber chuckle. Yang just blinked.

"The hell was that?" She asked, but Umber just shook his head.

"Nothing, but this box. It holds all that you want." He stated and lead the blond into the kitchen and put the box on the table, then Umber flicked the box open and revealed a cube. Suddenly, images shot out from the box, ones of high walls and guard positions. "At least it has walls." He murmured as he adopted a thinking pose. Multiple pictures showed high walls of chainlink fences and concrete, a few showed a number of guard towers on the corners of the walls. Spotlights lined their edges, most aimed outwards. At the entrance was a large chainlink gate, flanked by two barriers that had mounted guns on them. Large and blocky, the round drum on their sides said dangerous.

On the interior was a large, three story structure, which looked like it was under construction. But at the base of the construction, cells could be seen. Along the tops were walkways, no doubt so guards could keep an eye on their prisoners from all angles. Alongside the pictures were numerous red circles, outlining guard positions and... just that. Guard positions, no cameras, no alarms and no combination locks. Just pure manpower.

"Strange, but easy." Umber finally said, making Yang blink and frown.

"This is a fortress, in all terms, but you're writing it off?" Yang asked with increasing volume, the dapper teen nodded.

"This is child's play, there have been many places that put up a bigger challenge." Umber stated casually, his hand flicking one of the pictures away and examining another. Yang found a few of the insides of the cells, and found the familiar faces of teams CFVY, CRDL, but those were the only full teams she recognised. There were a lot of people that were alone, or missing somebody, like SSSN and NDGO. At least JNPR wasn't there. The dapper teen noticed her interest and glanced over. "Recognise someone?"

"A couple, how did that kid get these pictures?" Yang asked and Umber shrugged.

"His network is very unorthodox, I wouldn't doubt that he used the old pizza trick. Probably wouldn't work though." He stated, then hummed. "Relief happens quickly, and a few guards from other patrols take up the empty space." He hummed quietly. Suddenly, he flicked a hand through the air and the pictures disappeared, then he pressed a button on the table and another hologram appeared. This time it was a file out form for something, which Umber moved in front of Yang. "Fill those out." With that he wandered out of the kitchen. The blond was almost done when the door opened and in walked Neo, who caught Yang's eye as she worked on completing the forms. Suddenly, Yang was jabbed in the side. She growled and turned to glare at Neo, who started signing.

"I don't speak that mumbo jumbo." The blond snapped, getting a glare in return. The smaller girl mimicked a tie around her neck, it took Yang a second to realise what she was asking. "Umber? I don't know where he went and I don't care." She muttered, scowling.

"I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends." A calm voice spoke from behind Neo, the dapper teen held two duffle bags. "You will realise that pushing each other down will only end with you both at the bottom, so enough hostility." He stated as he swung the bags onto the table, then he pressed the centre and a holographic interface popped up. Umber took a moment to flick through the menu before a loading bar popped up, before looking through the bag with the word 'S.T.O.R.K' in bold letters on the side.

Out came a rifle, an EVO Carbine that had a red dot sight, a double drum magazine and a suppressor that seemed to be custom built, as it had a grip below it that didn't seem connected to the actual gun. Alongside the beastly assault carbine, the dapper teen pulled out a harness which he strapped over his left shoulder and across his chest. Then he connected his rifle to the harness, before letting go of the gun. Only for him to hiss as the rifle hit his ribs, immediately he yanked it into the air and stumbled backwards.

"Are you ok, man?" Yang asked and Umber let out a grunt, his black mask turning towards her.

"It's official, you have crippled my ability to hold even the lightest of rifles." He stated calmly, Yang snorted.

"So you're calling this suicide mission off?" She asked, little remorse in her voice. Her answer was Umber letting out a light chuckle.

"No, this challenge will make this 'suicide mission' enjoyable." Came the calm reply before Umber looked in the bag labeled 'S.T.A.C.K' and pulled out a small 40mm grenade launcher and a belt of grenades, enough to arm a small platoon. The dapper teen strapped these across his chest, over his right shoulder and under his left, while the launcher was put at his waist. He returned to the S.T.O.R.K bag and pulled out three thin collars and a strange sensor module. He clipped the box onto one of the bandoliers around his shoulders then clipped one of the collars open, putting it on and closing it. Yang watched as he pulled out a small earpiece and put it in his ear before his armoured hand was put out and the remaining colars were offered. "You require these, put them on."

Yang took the thin collar and put it on, mimicking Umber. Neo did the same, but couldn't keep a little smirk to herself.

 **"Collars? You into some kinky stuff?"** She signed and Umber stared at her, then sighed. He flicked the holograms off, swung the carbine over his shoulder and grabbed the bags.

"Next guard change is in fifteen minutes, best not to waste anymore time." The dapper teen stated and lead the girls towards the vehicle bay, towards the black van that rested next to a large but old looking military transport truck. He opened the back doors and looked over his shoulder, finding both Neo and Yang staring at him cautiously. "Lost your nerve? Too late for that." He said and threw the two duffle bags inside, then waited for the pair to hop in. Umber shut the doors and walked around the side of the van before jumping into the drivers seat.

The van rumbled to a start and the headlights shone, revealing a large sliding door. Yang didn't remember seeing it, but it was probably on the other side of the warehouse. Umber drove the van up to the door, which opened automatically at a pretty quick pace, then floored it. The trip took little time, as Umber soon pulled to a stop in an alleyway near the waterfront. He turned in his seat and stared at the pair in the back.

"From here onwards, use strict comms. No names." The dapper teen said and pointed to himself. "One-one." Then to Yang. "One-two." Then Neo. "One-three." Suddenly, the boy hopped over the centre console of the van and into the back with the girls, taking a seat in the centre and pulling the S.T.O.R.K bag close to rummage through it. "Plan is simple, ten to fifteen recognised HVTs in the compound east of us. Neo and I will commandeer a small vessel, take it underneath the objective while the cameras loop. It'll be up to us to handle defences." Umber explained while he pulled a tiny black computer chip from the bag, holding it up. "This is for automated defences, if there are any."

The dapper teen put the small chip in a pocket and pulled a can of aerosol as well as a blowtorch from the bag, hooking them onto his belt. He looked up again. "Neo, you will use you semblance to exfiltrate the HVT from the vessel, once in pace." Umber said as he pulled out a handgun, a Jericho 941 with a uniquely designed grip, one that was very similar to a katana's grip. The slide was silver, with a strange object under the barrel and a thin silencer on the end. Yang blinked in confusion.

"What's her semblance?" She asked and looked over to Neo, who had a similar look of confusion on her face."

"The ability to transport herself and others to places of memory." He answered as he removed the suppressor from the pistol.

 **"How did you know about my semblance?"** Neo signed and Umber hummed, placing another long object on the end of his Jericho.

"I know more than I say, think more than I speak and notice more than you realise." He answered cryptically and with little sence, then he pulled his launcher around and flicked it open, taking a grenade and sliding it inside. Yang had a look on concern.

"Isn't that a bit excessive?" She asked and the dapper teen stared up at her.

"Excessive draws attention, useful to divert attention from you objectives." He answered calmly, yet Yang wasn't exactly convinced.

"Still, it looks pretty dangerous." She muttered and Umber let out a light chuckle.

"Ms. Xiao Long, the longer you live your understanding of weapons grows, for there are no dangerous weapons..." The dapper teen stood up and opened the doors, hopping out and turning back to her. "Only dangerous people."

* * *

Yang found herself on the top of a building, lying prone with a pair of binoculars overlooking the makeshift prison. Its huge walls and many guards striking slight fear into her heart, it was only a few days ago that she was running from them. Now she was back, at least this time she was merely being a nuisance to anyone on the comms.

"Remind me why I'm the spotter?" She sarcastically asked over the comms, though it held a more disappointing tone to it. "Shouldn't I be dealing with my friends, not sitting as far away as possible?" Umber replied quickly.

"You are a liability to this mission." That got Yang angry, as her eyes glowed red and she scowled.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She snapped, hearing a sigh over the radio then a light grunt before a splash of water.

"One-three specialises in speed, that mobility and ability to remove herself from the fight. I have years of previous experience to a point of surgical precision, strategy and remaining undetected is an art." Umber replied over the radio, unamused. "Your experience? Killing beasts, not men. Your tactics include losing control during fights and rage, not something needing from you at the moment One-two." Umber stated, voice always calm. Yang saw the other side of the coin and cracked a grin.

"So you're saying that you're the Yin to my Yang?" There was silence.

"ETA to target is two minutes, have you marked hostiles?" He finally asked, causing Yang to blink.

"What?"

"Have you marked any hostiles?" He repeated, his calm voice getting slightly, _slightly_ annoyed.

"I don't know what you want from me." Yang said bluntly.

"Check the bottom of the bag, ETA is ten minutes." The dapper teen grunted over the radio. Yang found the small book and, thanks to selective reading for two minutes, could confidently work her only tool. She could flick through many scopes and filters, but more importantly could put a white dot on the Abandoned soldiers in the prison, with the dot hovering at their head with white lines representing their limbs. Somehow it could be seen through walls with the binoculars, when asked Umber merely hummed. "It's impressive what you can do with UV rays and harmless radiation."

Yang heard the distant sound of a boat engine and turned her gaze to the water, finding a black boat speeding along. Suddenly, the noise disappeared and the dapper teen rode the boat with his head held high as two spotlights just passed over his head. The boy was in his zone. There was barely a half minute of silence before the radio buzzed.

"Marks confirmed, breaching in thirty seconds." Umber reported. "Also to note, the HVTs will be sedated on retrieval."

"What? Why?" Yang hissed angrily, clearly agitated.

"I don't trust them. Besides, it makes them less likely to be seen, or get shot, or get stabbed. It is for both my safety and theirs." Umber calmly replied.

Coco sighed as she leaned against the bars of her cage, staring up at the plated knights that marched above her. Yet another failed attempt at escape played through her mind before the light sound of splashing water caught her attention, then the manhole cover that dominated the centre of her three-by-three metre cell was pushed to the side. Her eyes widened as she slowly approached it, but hesitated when a spotlight passed over her, but she quickly made up her mind and dropped to crawl her way into freedom. Only to find herself peering down the barrel of a gun, held by a figure whose face was darkened.

The figure slowly raised a hand to their face and extended a finger, telling Coco to be quiet. Suddenly, the surprisingly well dressed man pulled himself out of the hole. He stood up in the cell and took a look around, quickly returning his attention to Coco. "Spread the word. Stay silent, be ready to move at a moments notice." The dapper teen stated, then dropped something in the girl's lap, the rifle slung around the boy's shoulder. Her questioning eyes trailed from the gun back up to the black mask that reflected her own face. "I have little doubt you know how to use a firearm." He said then added. "Call it a precaution, keep it out of sight."

Umber turned and pulled the aerosol can from his hip, spraying it over one of the chainlink walls. It creaked and cracked when he pulled the section off and put it to the side, he was climbing out of the new hole when Coco found her voice.

"One question." She said and the dapper teen turned. "Wool, or linen?" She asked, gesturing to his clothes. Umber hummed.

"Cashmere, high quality." He answered and fully exited the cell, finding himself in a hallway that was made up of more cells. All around him were silent students, teens and scared people. But he ignored them for now, instead taking his grenade launcher and aiming at the closest guard tower. Yang watched as the grenade flew through the air, but felt some disappointment when the tower didn't erupt into flames, or when the other five didn't either. Umber clicked the launcher back into pace and hauled himself onto the wallway above Coco's cell, he quickly caught sight of three soldiers walking away from him.

The one furthest from him was one of the brass plated knights, holding an assault rifle that seemed eerily similar to a Vector. The next was a larger knight who held a breaching hammer near the head and lumbered behind the first Legionnaire, the one closest to him was a light infantry soldier wielding another rifle. To Yang's horror, Umber immediately made a beeline towards the soldiers' backs, his stance calm.

"Umber, what are you doing?" She hissed over the radio, she didn't get a great answer.

"Code names, One-two." Umber stated coldly as he pulled his cane out and put it down before quickly reached around the Auxiliary's neck and gripped the stock of the rifle, with a quick push from his other hand he was choking the soldier out. Yang stared at the other two with wide eyes, watching as they didn't even realise that their comrade was being choked out. The blond turned her attention back and found Umber zip tying the poor sod up and picking his cane back up. Without hesitation the teen pulled his Jericho from his coat and leveled it at the first Legionnaire, causing Yang to speak up again.

"One-one, stop! These guys are dangerous." She cried in protest, but merely got a chuckle over the comms.

"Trust me One-two, I am sure I can handle them." He stated, before firing three silent shots into the back of the knight's helmet. The first one sparked against the metal, but the two others were halted by the man's Aura, which fortunately couldn't stop him from stumbling forwards with a loud grunt. The soldier turned and raised his hammer, but Umber was already upon him with a quick jab with his cane in the lighter armour between his helmet and chestplate. Immediately, the hammer dropped in favour of grabbing his throat as the Legionnaire gurgled. Before he could do anything else, the dapper teen quickly stuck the handle of his cane behind one of his armoured legs and yanked his feet out. Without missing a beat, the teen smashed his cane into the helmet of the soldier, causing him to go limp.

"Huntsman scum!" The last Legionnaire roared as his rifle started to rise towards Umber, but yet he was too slow to halt the teen's quick movements. With a roll the dapper teen was garrotting the soldier against the wallway with a thin wire, his knee digging into the man's back as Umber pulled up with the wire. The struggle stopped and the boy stood up, dusting his shirt off and hopping down from the wallway.

Coco poked her head through the hole in the cell before quickly popping back inside and turning to Velvet, who sat in another cell over from her, the one between them belonging to Fox. The faunus had a determined look on her face.

"We're ready, but what about Fox? We can't leave him." She said quietly and Coco ran a hand across her forehead, letting her gun hang in one hand.

"I'll ask the guy, but don't get you hopes up. He was dragged out days ago-"

"Don't say that!" Velvet demanded, her eyes watering. "We can't give up on our friend!" She stated in a slightly raised voice, quickly Coco raised a hand.

"Shh! Don't get too loud!" The girl in sunglasses hissed, only to give a yelp of surprise when a voice behind her spoke up.

"Ms. Adel, are you ready?" Umber asked calmly. Suddenly, Coco spun around with the rifle raised, almost immediately the dapper teen grabbed the barrel and forced it upwards and towards her face, in shock she released the weapon and stepped back. "Apologies, habits, force of nature even." Umber stepped closer to the girl and looked down into her shaded eyes. "Please refrain from aiming firearms in my direction, most life expectancy is usually doubled when you do. Now, the priority is to remove ourselves from this premise." The dapper teen said as he gave back the rifle then stepped back and looked upwards. "One-three?"

A small black box appeared, flying at the dapper teen who caught the object and opened it. Inside was a large vial of liquid and a syringe gun, he extracted some of the liquid and attached the small needle-gun-thing to his belt. Then he glanced up and spotted Velvet, his black mask staring back at her with little emotion. Umber stepped out of the cell and walked over to her's, using the aerosol can to break the fence and step inside. The faunus felt fear as the teen's form blocked her only exit, her saviour with new unknown intentions.

"I understand that you have a... complicated relationship with the Commander of this occupation." Umber stated calmly, his voice even more unnerving than before. "Two choices are available right now, you are with us, or against us." The dapper teen said and stepped closer. "Choose now." The girl swallowed as sweat rolled down the side of her face.

"W-with you." She stammered, Umber relaxed his posture and nodded.

"Welcome, Ms. Scarlantina." Umber said with a more peaceful voice, before handing her the aerosol can. "Now before I arm you, remind Ms. Adel about what I said about aiming firearms at me." He hummed and the girl frowned, looking around the teen and finding Coco aiming at him.

"Sorry, but it's 'force of nature' when some guy is tryin' to intimidate my friends." She called from her cell, her face serious. "Do it again and I will end you." To both the girls' surprise, Umber chuckled.

"Tell me, have you ever truely killed somebody? Have you ended life, with your very own hands? From you silence, you answer is a no." The dapper teen turned around and stared across the bars at the girl. "Trust me, I have heard greater threats from very dangerous people. Bloody you hands before threatening me again, until then, lower your weapon. Now." The girl obeyed and Umber hummed, turning again and pulling another pistol from his coat and offering the grip to Velvet. "That can will freeze objects to a point where you can break it with your hands, use that pistol as a last resort. Time, and discretion is of the essence." Umber stated firmly and turned to go, but Velvet spoke up and stopped him.

"W-wait! You t-trust me j-just l-like that?" She asked and Umber let out a hum.

"Loyalty, hard to earn. Trust, easy to break. In these next few moments, your actions shall speak louder than words. Now go, free those you recognise."

While Velvet had some difficulty with the spray, she finally cracked open one of the cells opposite her. The girl inside quickly hopped out and ran towards the dapper teen, but not before giving a nod to the faunus who freed her. She stopped in fromt of the boy and quickly spoke.

"Octavia, s-she's been unconscious for a long time. I'm starting think she isn't waking up!" She babbled quickly, tears threatening to burst. Umber was about to respond before another voice spoke nearby.

"Scarlet needs help too, he isn't looking good." Umber turned to find Neptune standing at the front of his cage, gesturing to the boy next to him, whose eyes were bruised black and forced shut.

"Ms. Scarlantina, please retrieve Ms. Ember from her cell. I will cut Mr. David out." He stated calmly, pulling the blow torch from his belt and making quick work of cutting through the bars of Scarlet's cell. The dapper teen yanked the red hot bars of the cell and tossed it aside, entering the confined space to examine the red haired boy. The boy was mumbling as Umber shone a small light into his eyes, finding no dilation and immediately realising the teen had a mild concussion. Though it was little surprise, for the swollen face and blood coating his face were an obvious sign that Scarlet would have some sort of injury.

"O-Octavia's w-worse." Velvet said from behind Umber, who turned and followed her over to the cell holding the red haired girl. The faunus girl was right, since as soon as the dapper teen entered the cell he saw an least eight broken bones, an erratic heartbeat and breathing problems, an orbital fracture and a life threatening concussion. Behind Umber, the sounds of the rest of team NDGO muttering and whispering was growing louder, more so when he turned and walked out of the cage.

"One-Three, come in." Umber said into his comms, thinking for a moment about how the girl would communicate. Luckily, the double tab against the earpiece was confirmation enough. "Listen carefully, for two lives hang by a thread..." His orders were dished out to both the team of girls around him, and to the silent petite woman over the radio. First was to move Octavia as a priority to the Lodge. "Move with haste, move the girl into the 'Theta' container and into bed one. Grab some paper for this next one." He waited as Neo tapped once and went silent, watching as NDGO helped lower their friend into the hole. Soon, two taps hit his ear. "Alright. Cabinet B, top shelf, take the Propofol drip and set it to the second lowest setting. Second shelf has Buprenorphine, give her a dose of five hundred micrograms."

"What's Burp- Bupre-no-fine?" Velvet asked quietly behind Umber as she moved to cut out the giant known at Yatsuhashi, but was ignored.

"Give Mr. David a dose of three hundred, nothing more." He stated and got two taps again, he hummed then turned to give Nebula the injection. Finally, after Yats watched as the dapper teen helped the girl down the hole, he felt enough trust to go over and find out who their saviour is. Passing a confused looking Neptune, mumbling about looking for Sage.

Yats spoke up when the boy returned to the surface. "What should we call you?" Umber glanced over as he was refilling the syringe gun, letting out a light chuckle.

"Offended, but understandable, that you forgot me." He said calmly, putting the gun on his belt and grabbing Yats' outstretched hand with his cold gauntlet. "Umber Iwashita, of the previous team PUMA." Coco and Yats shared the same shocked expression, though the brown haired girl quickly scowled and raised her gun slightly.

"Bullshit. Team PUMA were all killed during the takeover, and no huntsman would be alright with killing people. You are you really?" She snapped and Umber turned his head slowly, staring coldly at the girl as he released Yats' hand.

"I know I was there, those events that I witnessed aren't fake. The deaths of my fellow teammates, Andre, Scott and Codie... and you, staring from the rooftop. Watching." The dapper teen's voice suddenly broke, as a quiet sniff came from the boy. "As I fell into that dark, I saw you turn and run. Not once did you even try to help, not once." Umber stated and waved over the next hunter for the shot. Coco looked shocked, wide eyes stared at the boy.

"I-I'm sorry for your loss." She apologised, only to get a grunt in return.

"Don't be, we were distant. Hardly knew them." He said casually, not a single hint of sadness in his voice. "They served their purpose, I got back to Vale and pissed off Atlas. The amount of flak that the Atlesian Military would've received from arresting an exchange student, a huntsman in training no less, that isn't on their territory. It would cripple their public image." Umber explained as Coco fumed, her eyes narrowed at the boy.

"Then what the hell was that guilt trip for!?" She snapped and Umber turned to her.

"I manipulated your emotions, thus you lowered the gun." The dapper teen answered easily. "My name may not be Umber, and I might not be a hunter, but I am freeing you from unlawful captivity. All free of charge." Suddenly, his voice went cold. "Last warning, Ms. Adel. If that gun is pointed that me, then there will be no further need to ask for your presence. Understand?" He asked calmly. There was the sound of impact against the fence and they turned to find a blue haired boy, his skin pale and eyes wide.

"F-fucking... no, n-no. No m-more, can't t-take him too. S-Sage? Sage w-where...?" He muttered in delirious murmurs.

"Neptune Vasilias. Come over, I have something that can help you." The dapper teen said gently, waving the boy over. Neptune quickly wandered over, hands shaking as they latched across his chest. "Do you have any heart problems, Neptune?" He asked softly and the boy shook his head, quickly Umber put the syringe to his neck and pulled the trigger, holding it a little longer that the other shots. "Please count down from ten, Mr. Vasilias."

"Ten. Nin-" The boy slumped forwards into Umber's arms.

"Good man." He said quietly and lowered the boy through the hole, then popped back up. "Anymore?" He asked Coco, who was still glaring at him.

"I can't decide if I hate you, or like you." She stated bluntly, then pointed down the rows of cells. "Just CRDL, down there." Umber looked and found four boys jeering at Velvet, who was clearly struggling with the can of aerosol. "Ah, shit. Those bastards." She muttered and started to move towards them, but Umber halted her.

"Do not abandon your post, Ms. Adel. I will handle this, doesn't take a genius to see a prick." He stated calmly and coldly, walking swiftly over to the last cells.

"Come on, Velvet." Cardin hissed, his eyes worried. He, for once, might not be bullying the faunus girl, but it seemed his team couldn't help themselves.

"Come on! Fucking hurry up, damn animal!" Russel sneered from the cell next to him, staring down at the girl as she struggled to freeze the cell. "If you can shit in a bush, then you can get me out!" He snapped and slammed his hand against the bars, startling the girl into dropping the can.

"For god's sake, can't you do anything right?" Dove spat from the other side of Cardin, peering at Velvet as she tried to find the can in the dark. Then a cold hand landed on Velvet's shoulder, causing her to turn and look up into the black mask of Umber. She was guided to her feet by the boy, who silently looked up at Russel.

"The gun, you have it?" He asked softly, the girl nodded and pulled it from her waistband and held it towards the teen. "Do you know how to use it correctly?" He asked, ignoring the offered weapon.

"N-no." Velvet said honestly, not sure where this was going.

"That's fine, follow my lead. I'll teach you." He said in the same soothing voice, pulling his Jericho out and aiming at the empty cages behind him. Velvet matched the boy's stance hesitantly, but with a nod from him she grew some confidence. "Fine work, now, the ammunition I use is more parts solid than Dust. This means more recoil, and the ability to cut past Aura. Now to counter this, put your other hand over your first and- One-Two radio silence, negative One-Two." Umber pulled the earbud out with a finger, it still buzzed with a familiar voice but Velvet couldn't place a name. "Now, both thumbs forward. Get your eye aligned with that front sight and those grooves at the end, now pull back the slide."

To Umber's surprise, the girl did so quickly and pretty well. "Very good." He stated as Velvet aimed at the cages, though she soon found her arms gripped by the dapper teen and her body turning around. Her aim was now on Russel. The boy's eyes widened, now remembering Umber's explanation of his ammo. Though both the faunus and boy starting to shake, Umber continued. "I have a saying: aim small, miss small. If you aim between his two eyes, you'll no doubt get a bullet stuck in his under developed cranium. Now, if you want to shoot, you want to squeeze the trigger." By now the calming voice that the dapper teen had was gone, now only coldness remained. "Pulling it can mess up a clean shot."

Suddenly, the boy walked over to beside Russel and leaned against the side of his cell. The boy was against the back bars, tears and sweat running down his face. "Interesting feeling isn't it, the feeling of having your life in someone else's hands? Little fact that I'll share with you, if I was in her shoes, your little human supremacist ass would have two clips worth of rounds in it. Fortunate, that Ms. Scarlantia here is in charge of her life, and that she wouldn't even harbour the thought. She is far better than you or I, even after your hell she still hesitates." Umber stated with a hum, pushing off the fence and taking the gun from Velvet's shaking hands. "You thought about it, but didn't follow through. That guilt you show, from simply think about it. It's enough to show me that you are a truely good person." He said calmly, put the gun back in her hands then turned and walked back over to Coco.

Only to stop and turn to the rest of CRDL, staring at Russel over a quickly glance over. "Prejudice. If I see it one more time, or even hear a whisper about it... I'll show you how we all bleed the same." The extraction of CRDL was quiet, the air tense as each boy hopped down the hole. About a minute after, Coco spoke up.

"What has Velvet so scared and why was Russel having a breakdown with his team?" She asked, getting nothing in reply except a nervous shuffle from Velvet. "Ok, let's rephrase that. What did you do to Velvet?"

"Taught her how to use a pistol, no doubt emotionally scarring those boys in the process." The dapper teen answered immediately, Coco raised an eyebrow.

"Bravo." She said, amused at the quick and honest answer. Though her attention was still on her friend, who still shook slightly. "Then why Velvet shaking?" She asked and Umber looked over.

"Her first taste of power, a corruptive experience. Though it no longer matters, let's go." He said, but the pair shook their heads.

"Fox was taken over to the construction site when he said something in the soldiers' language. We aren't leaving without him." Coco stated firmly, causing the normally stoic boy to let out a grunt of annoyance.

"Fantastic. This information would've been welcome, were you planning on telling me before now?" He snapped in a cold tone, turning to Yats, who stood nearby, and jabbed the needle into his neck. "Now we only have six minutes." He muttered and pointed at the hole. "You lot, get in the hole. We leave in five minutes, on the dot." With that, he sprinted from the cell and plugged his earpiece in. His cane in one hand and his handgun in the other, he ran past many cells. "One-two, this is One-one come in." The dapper teen said, already knowing the bombardment of questions.

"Right here. Now you better give some answers-"

"Not now, One-two." Umber snapped, his cool now broken by his whittled patience. "This operation is turning into a clusterfuck, so any questions can wait. I've been informed of another HVT, currently in the construction site nearby. Identify what's between him and I" The dapper teen ordered as he skidded around the corner of another cell, narrowly missing the gaze of a Legionnaire above him. Yang understood the seriousness of the situation and quickly flicked her attention over to the half-built structure.

"There's... only four red and orange blobs, doesn't look like they're armoured." She stated over the comms, causing Umber to pause as the building grew in size as he approached.

"Thermals." He muttered, to the blond he was speaking nonsense.

"What?" She asked.

"Currently, you are operating the thermal vision. Giving thermal signatures, not blobs." The dapper teen answered calmly, Yang just grunted.

"Do what you want." She stated and was promptly ignored as Umber rushed over to the front entrance of the building, two large iron doors. From further inspection, they seemed to be rolling blast doors. Thankfully, the doors were not fully completed, with no countermeasures. Umber jammed his cane between them and pulled, opening the doors a mere crack then wide open. He entered the dark structure and found many guard stations, desks and chairs stationed around. They soon grew less in number as he ran through the hallway, finally stumbling across his first door.

The dapper teen identified it as a password door, with a keypad in the door handle, a jiggle of which marked it as locked. He took a step back and put a hand to his chin as he looked at the wall next to the door, his pause caused Yang to speak up.

"You've stopped, are you stuck?" She asked, only for Umber to raise his foot and slam it through the wall. "Oh." Was Yang's response to the action, Umber just hummed as he yanked his foot from the weak plywood. He reached around and found the handle, quickly opening it and walking through the door. Though he placed a piece of rubble down to stop the door from closing before moving onwards. Only to stop, as his masked face slowly looked up the three stories of boxes that had small barred windows, enough for around fifty people per level.

"I-I'm in." Umber stated, almost tripping over himself. The blond noticed his change in tone and grew concerned.

"You alright?" She asked and the dapper teen nodded, mostly to himself.

"Just bad memories, bad experiences with places like this." He answered, swallowing the spike of nervousness down. Umber started down the first floor of cells, soon coming four that were confirmed occupied by Yang. It was then that Umber realised something. "I have no clue what this target looks like." He muttered, then figured out something as he watched his time dwindle on his watch. "There's a small slide on the side of your binoculars, find it." He stated suddenly.

"Alright then." Yang mumbled as she scanned over the sides of her scope, finding what the boy was asking for. "Found it."

"Move it to 122.2." He said calmly. The blond did so and saw the visor of the binoculars changing, soon the numbers matched and she glanced through them. She saw the clear image of Umber standing outside one of the doors.

"How many fingers?" He asked as he raised a hand, immediately Yang answered.

"Three." The three digits turned into a thumbs up, then his hand removed his gun from his belt and cocked the slide. The dapper teen took a breath then opened the door, finding a girl strapped to a chair and the faint sound of incoherent mumbling. Besides the occupant and the chair, the room was completely barren. Umber slowly approached the figure, where the mumblings grew louder, though still muffled by a bag over her head. With his free hand, the teen reached for the bag and tore it off. Immediately, a pair of wide eyes were staring at him.

"AGENT ASHLEY CARMINE, SERVICE NUMBER 1532-" The near immediate screaming was put to silence when Umber pistol whipped the girl's forehead, quickly knocking her out. Yang gaped as her mind caught up with what the dapper teen just did.

"What- what the hell was that for?!" She hissed angrily as Umber wiped the bottom of his Jericho of a bit of blood.

"She's Atlas." He stated calmly, turning and starting towards the door.

"Where are you going Umb- One-one?" She snapped.

"I came here for a purpose, rescue a male HVT. This is merely a waste of time. Besides, she is my enemy." He answered calmly, turning around and closing the door of the cell.

"You aren't leaving her to a painful death, you know she'll get one." Yang tried to explain, yet Umber was stone set on his objective.

"I know for a fact, what I've done is what she'd do. No, perhaps worse." He stated firmly, moving over to the next door.

"You are taking her." The blond stated over the radio.

"No." Was the immediate response. It didn't take long for Yang to realise that her approach wasn't working, so quickly switched tactics.

"S-she might have a way out, a contact you know? Maybe even a reward!" She tried with a stoic face, going silent. A bead of sweat rolled down her face before she got an answer, though not one she was expecting.

"Amusing. Take this for your troubles, from an expert of manipulation. Make the idea seem like they came up with it." Umber chuckled, stopping and turning around. "Your babbling has made me curious, don't usually see a lone agent. Usually more." He said as he opened the cell again, finding the girl hunched over. He walked over and yanked her head up, examining the agent's features. Her hair was black with green highlights at the tips, it was shoulder length with a ponytail at the back. Gracing her face were a number of black and blue bruises, there was also a very new one on her forehead. Across her face was a noticeable scar, from right cheek to jaw.

She appeared to be around Yang's age, if not at least eighteen. Her attire was casual, with a black hoodie, some jeans and a pair of white shoes. It appeared her attempt to blend in failed. He quickly patted her down for anything of value or information, finding little until he felt something in her hoodie. It was a small USB, which he pocketed and then contacted Yang.

"Ready to wake it?" He asked and the blond let out a sigh.

" _It_ is a person." She snapped, watching as the dapper teen pulled a small tube from his coat and broke it under the agent's nose. "Wha-"

"Nothing lethal, Ammonium Carbonate." He answered swiftly, pulling the vial away as the girl's eyes flickered open. As soon as they landed on Umber, the girl jerked back and sent her chair falling. Fortunately, Umber stopped the fall by putting a foot between her legs and on the chair, he slowly brought the bound girl back to four legs before removing his foot. "You know me, what I'm capable of. Answer these questions, honestly, with straight answers." He leaned in down to the agent's face, her skin turned white as if she had seen Death itself. "Name, rank, service number, age, branch, division, C.O, and objectives in Vale."

It took a moment, but soon the girl gave her answers. "Agent Ashley Carmine, service number 1532009." Came the sharp reply through gritted teeth, her impossibly green eyes glaring up at the black mask that reflected her face.

"Alright, Ashley. May I call you Ashley?" Umber asked calmly.

"No." She spat.

"Alright, Agent Ashley Carmine. I have no intention to kill you, my intention is being used for another purpose. My agenda is currently in the exact opposite of the usual, an olive branch must be given for your freedom. Will you extend it?" He asked calmly, almost with some softness in his voice.

"Agent Ashley Carmine, service number 1532009." Umber sighed as the stubborn agent glared at him.

"Let's fill in the blanks." Umber continued, starting to pace in front of the girl. "Name is obvious. Rank, Agent First Class. Service number has been repeated, so no need. Age is no doubt eighteen. Branch is probably the International Atlas Intelligence, for obvious reasons. Your division, hmm. Counter Phoenix Operations. Your Commanding Officer is Winter Schnee, due to her command of that division. Lastly, the objectives that you are aiming to complete should be on this USB." With that, he flicked the metal drive into the air and showed it to the girl. The face was all he needed, as her surprise showed easily. He slowly turned back to the girl, his black mask not revealing anything. "Last but not least, do you have any pre-existing heart problems that you know of?"

The dapper teen dragged the agent out of the cell, leaning her against the wall next to the door. He stood back up and turned towards the next door, his Jericho still in his hand. Umber stood before the closed door, pausing to examine the warnings across the door. Yang once again started to ask questions.

"How did you knock her out?"

"Mind tricks." Umber stated calmly, then paused. "If you believe me?"

"Nope." Yang answered, annoyed.

"Then your answer will come at a later time, not now in a time sensitive operation." Umber replied, still standing before the door. The blond grew tired of waiting quickly.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Warnings. Written in Latin, not a familiar kind though. Modern, updated perhaps? From my knowledge, it says that the occupant has a mental manipulation semblance. Nothing I haven't dealt with." The dapper teen stated, confidence in his voice. He swung the door open and leveled his handgun at the single other person inside the cell, though lowered in confusion. Yang grew bored for the dapper teen's constant pausing, so she glanced down at the open manual and found another option in the binocular settings. She flicked a switch and suddenly a clear picture from Umber's mask filled the binoculars. Instantly, she recognised the dark skinned girl that sat before the teen.

"Emerald?" She muttered in surprise, finding the mint haired girl with a blindfold in place of a bag over her head. Umber seemed to ignore her murmurs and circled around the girl, like a shark in water.

"Something isn't right." Came a grunt over the radio. "There's a heat signature in the centre, and no stench from the corpses." The dapper teen stated, his head turning to glance at the wall opposite him. Yang spotted nothing through his POV, confusing her more.

"One-one... what are you on about?" Yang asked cautiously, Umber let out a grunt.

"Rotting corpses, the flesh should give off a horrid smell." He answered, still not turning from the blank wall.

"But there's nothing there, no flesh or rotting corpses." Yang said slowly. "What are you looking at?" At that, Umber's gaze snapped around to the girl in the chair alongside his pistol.

"What am I looking at, One-two?" He asked coldly, Yang saw Emerald freeze up as the handgun leveled itself at her head.

"Emerald." She repeated, watching the events carefully.

"Three seconds, either you're out of my head or there's something in yours." The dapper teen said calmly, almost as if he was talking to a child. Then his vison snapped up and he glanced around the empty room. "O-one." He said firmly, but shakily. His Jericho flew up and fired at the corner of the room. "Two!" He said loudly, firing at nothing once more before the pistol was thrust against the back of Emerald's head. "Three!" He barked, his finger nearing the trigger. At last, Yang saw Umber finally level his gaze onto the mint haired girl. "Good choice." The dapper teen sighed in relief, the image of the frozen girl suddenly broken to reveal a terrified Emerald.

Umber's hand disappeared around his back before returning with a black knife, its surface glinting in the single lightbulb above their heads. The cold metal was placed against the girl's cheekbone, sending a sharp gasp from her lips. The blade shot upwards across her skin, though drawing no blood and slicing through the cloth around her eyes. As the dirty band fell onto her lap, her eyes stared up at her reflection in the black mask of Umber. It was a tense moment before Umber spoke.

"A mistake, to push a man to violence. A man who has perfected violence to an art." The dapper teen said coldly, his gaze unbreaking from the girl's. She seemed shocked, but her expression changed to anger as she snarled at him.

"Fuck you, you pig shit eating asshole!" She screamed, only to be thoroughly ignored by the dapper teen.

"Her next attempt to get into my head, make it so I cannot fight out of it. The living dead, an easy situation to fight out of." He leaned close towards Emerald. "I should know." He whispered. Her glare spoke for itself, so Umber stood up. "Good, common ground." He said cheerfully, or at least in less of a monotone, as he cut through the bindings around her right hand. It started moving up towards his face, but the knife being buried into the arm of the chair halted that. "You can finish the rest." Umber said calmly and stood up, rubbing a crease from his jacket.

"So, you aren't here to kill me?" Emerald asked, a tone of distrust in her voice, as she started to slice through the ropes around her.

"No, as of now. Though I reserve the right to change that however." Umber answered as he walked towards the door.

"Do you have to be so cold blooded?" Yang snapped over comms, watching as the dapper teen threw a finger to the side of his mask. Her view from Umber was cut, with a grumble she switched back to thermals.

"Don't trust her." Umber replied as he stood outside the last door, waiting for Emerald. Unfortunately, Yang wasn't going to take that answer.

"I get that you don't trust her, but you don't trust anyone else. Seriously." She exclaimed, hearing a hum over the radio.

"That's not the point. You shouldn't trust her, there's been a pattern you haven't found." The dapper teen said calmly, causing the blond to scoff in annoyance.

"Then what's the pattern, jackass?" She sneered, clearly taking his words as an insult.

"These cells are still under construction, yet the soldiers with almost impenetrable armour have housed three people within this place. One speaks their language, knows their culture, maybe even their military structure. The next is an enemy agent, trained in Atlas. Then her, whose immediate assumption was that she was important enough to have someone out to kill her." Umber explained slowly, his voice calm. "If you don't trust my logic, then trust me."

Yang though for a moment, frowning. How could she trust him? He was one of the most dangerous and violent people she's ever met. Yet he hasn't lied, not once. Her debate continued in silence as Emerald walked out of the cell and towards Umber.

"What's this made out of?" She asked, holding the knife in the air. "It so light, like it's a feather. Strong as all hell, but... cold." She trailed off, Umber merely looked at her.

"You ready?" He asked calmly, returning to staring at the door when she have a hesitant nod. The mint haired girl blandly stared at the boy before asking the most burning question.

"What are we waiting for?" Her answer came quickly, in the form of two soldiers. The door of the cell swung inwards and two laughing Auxiliaries walked out, their mimicked White Fang masks shining golden. One had a pistol on his belt, while the other had bloodied gloves. The pair stared at Umber and Emerald, and they stared back in a heated standoff.

"This." Umber said as he dashed forwards at the soldiers, causing a blur of movement from both sides. The teen closed the distance and yanked one of the men aside and kicked him backwards, towards Emerald. Unfortunately, the soldier chose to ignore the girl and turn his attention to Umber. His hand moved towards his holstered gun, sending the red eyed girl into action. She stepped forwards and slammed the knife deep into the back of the man's knee, unexpectedly feeling blood splatter on his hands instead of the push of Aura. The man let out a scream as he crumpled to his knees, dropping his guard further by reaching for the knife. Emerald cringed as she pulled the blade from the man's knee and quickly thrusted it into his chest with a quick spin, burying the knife deep into his unarmoured chest.

She stumbled backwards and fell down, watching with wide eyes as the soldier coughed out blood. He tried to spit it out, but it kept flowing from his mouth, so he moved his shaking hands towards the imbedded blade. His fingers barely touched the hilt as he coughed and let out a sob.

"H-huh... I'm... I-I'm bleeding." Came the shaken voice, full of terror. Emerald yanked her eyes away from the horrific sight, looking for the dapper teen. Only to find the other Auxiliary, leaned against the wall next to an open door. His mask shattered, a single eye blankly staring at her while the other was simply occupied by the boy's cane, driven through his skull. "H-hey, Auther... you r-remember t-that song? I-It was s-something e-else, eh?" The soldier continued, but Emerald ignored it as best she could. Finally Umber appeared, coming from the open door half carrying half supporting a barely conscious boy with dark skin and orange hair. Umber adjusted his grip on the injured boy before reporting success to Yang.

"One-two, high value target secured plus..." Umber turned his gaze from the girl in front of him to the one further down the cell block. "...plus two." He grunted, then turned his attention to Emerald's frozen form. "First time killing a man?" He asked calmly.

"I didn't." She answered with an emotionless stare, causing Umber to look behind her at the struggling Auxiliary.

"Then let me save you from that fate." Umber said coldly, gently moving Fox against the wall. Then he turned and walked over to the bleeding soldier, pistol ready.

"T'was g-grace that b-brought us home t-t-thus far." The soldier spluttered, then screamed when Umber put a bullet into his chest. The intent for a swift death was cut as the last of the Auxiliary's Aura shattered, leading Umber to put two more into his already battered chest. The dapper teen glanced back at Emerald, who stood to the side watching, not flinching during the whole ordeal. Umber turned on his heel and returned to Fox, pulling his bloodied cane from the second soldier's skull. He paused to wipe it against the corpse's chest.

"In my eyes, there is only one type of person in this world that are monsters in all senses." Umber said suddenly, picking up Fox again. "Those are people who abuse those who are defenceless, weaker than they are. Whether they areWardens, Commanders, Fathers, they will see no quarter from me. Yet this isn't the reason for this brutality, it was to confirm something. You are used to brutality, so head my warning... I will find out who you are. Ensure that you are not against me when I do." Umber stared at Emerald for a few seconds before pointed with his cane at the second girl who lay unconscious against the wall, just a few metres away. "Could you please carry that? It's time to move."

Coco was crouching low as the voices grew louder, coming from the newest patrol of Abandoned soldiers. They were a fair distance away, but still too close for comfort. She glanced over to Velvet, her friend's hands shaking. The sunglasses wearing girl turned back and spotted a trio of figures making their way towards them. "Over there! It's them!" She whispered to Velvet, recognising Fox and the dapper teen who supported him. The girl was also familiar, being one of the pair that beat her and Yats in the tournament. Umber quickly helped the dazed and bruised Fox into the hole, the hands of already saved hunters reaching up and supporting his descent. He grabbed the other girl that Emerald was carrying, dropping her into the waiting arms. "Now what?" Coco asked Umber, who turned to her.

Suddenly, a swft pain hit her neck and Umber was placing the syringe back onto his belt, pointing down to the hole. The girl scowled at him, thrusting the rifle back into his arms and jumping down the hole before the dapper teen could offer assistance. Velvet moved to return her own weapon, but Umber shook his head.

"I trust you, now that you know how to use it." He said softly, but even then the faunus girl doubted herself. "Ms. Adel went through this endeavour with the safety on, and not a round in the chamber. Keep it, after this encounter you may need it." Velvet paused for a moment, thinking about his words, then placed the pistol in her pocket and exposed her neck. The dapper teen gently gave her a shot and helped her down into the hole before turning and looking at Emerald, syringe ready for one last shot.

The girl immediately stumbled away when she saw him move closer, her eyes wide. "Whatever's in that thing, I'm not taking it." She stated firmly.

"You aren't leaving without this shot." Umber said calmly, but in a tone of annoyance. "There are other options, crude but effective." The red eyed girl took a moment to think it over, then heard the footsteps of incoming troops.

"Well I'm not putting that in my veins." She finally said.

"The alternative then?" The dapper teen asked, placing the syringe back on his belt.

"The alternative." Emerald confirmed. Without warning, Umber reached into his coat, withdrew and launched a metal bar directly at the girl's forehead. The poor teen had little time to react as she collapsed into Umber's arms, her consciousness gone. Once again, Yang spoke up.

"What the fuck?! Why would you do that?" She snapped over the radio, getting ignored by the dapper teen as he lowered Emerald into the hole before turning and shaking his head in the general direction of the blond. He hopped down the hole and pulled the cover back over the hole, just in time as a Legionnaire rushed around the corner. Under the docks, Umber stared at Neo as he dropped Emerald at the front of the crowded boat.

 **"Where'd you pick her up?"** She asked as the teen sat down.

"With the boy and that girl." He answered, pointing out Fox and the still unconscious Ashley. "All from solitary confinement. The comms were online, weren't you listening?" He asked calmly, the girl shrugged.

 **"Well how was I supposed to know it was Emerald? I'm ignoring that blond and you said no names."** Neo signed and pouted, gaining a glance from Umber.

"Then how do you know her?" He asked curiously, gaining a sadistic little smile from an equally small woman.

 **"Boy, do I have the story for you."** She signed dangerously.

* * *

Yang was once again annoyed, with a great hint of concern. It had been fifteen minutes since Umber and Neo, the little prick, had made their escape. Though they had left her behind and were ignoring her attempts at calling them. Now the prison was alive with activity, as soldiers rushed to and from the gates. The spotlights were turned to the streets around the walls, and a large mechanical soldier was directing the troops. It wasn't long before the entire city was awake and hellbent on finding those that rescued the hunters. Suddenly, the radio buzzed to life and Yang didn't hesitate to speak her mind.

"Where the hell are you? I'm sitting on top of a roof, in the cold, while crazy guys that are set on hunting us down are crawling everywhere!" She snapped as her desperation was nearing an all time high.

"We are in the van." Umber responded calmly, causing the blond's eyes to flash red with anger. "Come down when you are ready." He said, but Yang was already moving before he had finished. She threw the binoculars into the duffle bag and flew down the fire escape stairs, finding the waiting van in a side alley nearby. She threw open the side down and hopped in, glaring at the dapper teen.

"What the fuck was up with leaving me in the dirt, huh?" Yang growled, getting ignored by Umber as he started the van. Neo spun around in the passenger seat and quickly signed a message.

 **"This is far too much activity, you're mad to be driving with this much heat!"** With that the petite girl shattered like glass, no doubt back at the lodge, and Umber pulled out into a side road.

"Now we have the stage." The dapper teen hummed, glancing at the rear view mirror. "Now you can ask suitable questions for suitable answers, make this time worth it." Umber stated, but Yang already had a question brewing.

"How did you take out those guards without busting their Aura?" She asked suspiciously.

"Good question, difficult to answer." Umber noted. "On the catway, you saw the effects of my Semblance. The ability to excrete metal from my skin, this is that metal." He said and raised his hand, letting a cloud of grey dust flow out and form a metal cylinder. It was passed over to Yang, who had a look of disgust as she held the object made from his skin. "From here, I can change and adapt the shape." Like that, the cold cylinder changed into a pyramid, then a cube before turning into dust again and flying back into the boy's sleeve. "Besides the garrotte wire, everything on that catwalk was thanks to my Semblance. I've named the metal: Numeric Weave." The dapper teen turned off the engine for a moment as a squad of brass knights sprinted across the road in front of them, before long they were on the move again.

"The alloy is almost as strong as the metal itself. Unlike it, I can keep the shape without much concentration. That's why I use it for rounds and armour, though it's less effective the further the bullet flies. Everything has a catch, however." Umber stated. "When wearing Numeric Weave as armour, it stops Aura regeneration. Even if you waited days for it to be at full strength, it wouldn't change from the last hit you felt. I didn't use it in the tournament for that reason, and why I had no Aura in our very first encounter. My armour was the reason why I could choke out that soldier, his Aura couldn't activate completely. How I knew about that Agent, I'm just that good." Was the quick answer to Yang's question, one that hadn't even left her lips.

They entered the warehouse to find Neo, sitting on top of Yatsuhash's sleeping form watching TV, the other huntsmen and huntresses they had rescued laying around them. Yang was quick to growl and step forwards to remove the girl, but before she could take another step Umber interrupted.

"Fight later, find our guests sleeping arrangements." The dapper teen said as he walked down the hall and into the lift, turning around and staring at them. "I will examine the injured, both of you come with me." The girl stuck her tongue out at the blond and appeared besides Umber, grinning at him. Yang jogged over, not so subtly bumbing Neo almost off her feet.. The ride was quick and soon the lights of the underground warehouse lit up like the Fourth of July, whatever that was. They made their way towards the containers, more specifically the one labled Theta. Umber removed his coat and placed it on a workbench outside the box, rolling his sleeves up. "I'll stabilise them to the best of my ability, the critically wounded will be needing help." He hummed as he tossed his gloves onto the coat and grabbed the crate's door handles. "When I am sure the injured are stable, and the prisoners are secured, we will look for an accomplice. One that has no doubt left the city." With that he pulled open the doors

Inside, two of five beds were occupied, just like the floor was occupied by scattered equipment. Umber took a moment to exaime the extent of the damage before slowly looking at Neo, who gave him a raised eyebrow. **"You look at me like you expected me to know what a drip was."** The tiny girl signed. Umber just sighed as he moved over to the unconscious Octavia, who had an IV Drip haphazardly stuck into her battered arm. The dapper teen gently removed the needle then reinserted it carefully, it was then that Yang realised what Umber had said.

"Prisoners? What prisoners?" She asked, already dreading the answer.

"Emerald and Agent Ashley Carmine." Umber answered as he pulled out the small USB taken from the Agent, plugging it into a nearby drive port which connected to a large screen on the opposite wall.

"Why Emerald?" The blond asked, trying in vain to understand the dapper teen.

"Your supposed friend has a lot to hide, if what Neo revealed about her is true." Umber answered as he placed an icepack against the girl's forehead, lessening the effects of her concussion.

"You mean when she worked as a cutthroat under Torchwick?" Yang sneered at the other girl, who leveled a cold stare at her. The screen caught Yang's eye, as lines of decrypting data flowed across the screen.

"Now you understand." The boy stated, distracted by something on a smaller screen in his hand. The screen made a beep and something akin to a video popped up on another data pad near Yang, she took a glance at the others before pressing play.

The screen showed the view of Beacon, looking at the courtyard at night. The camera shifted and zoomed onto a rooftop, one that wasn't usually accessible to students. There the outline of a familiar masked teen sat, lounging about as if he owned the place. The video suddenly time lapsed till the break of dawn, where the dapper teen disappeared from view.

"An admirable effort from a novice Agent, going against orders and finding me on her own." Umber hummed, lifting his own pad. "Got a decent psych file on me, but now we have little to delay us further." The dapper teen said standing up from the better looking Octavia. "Beds for our guests are second shelf from the bottom near the lift."

Soon, Yang and Neo, but mostly Yang since the smaller woman went to fix her corset, had set up airbeds, mattresses and even a few stretchers for the KO'd huntsmen and huntresses. While the beds were set up, all good for the group of refugees to sleep in, they remained in the pile for now. Yang was about to find something else to do when Umber appeared from the lift. He wore a different three-piece suit, still a cobalt colour. He nodded at the sight of beds, then turned his attention to the blond. Though it was more on her outfit.

"We are leaving on foot. Any chance to wear something more inconspicuous?" He asked calmly, getting a raised eyebrow from Yang.

"What's wrong with my clothes?" She asked, slightly insulted.

"Not a lie when I say you look stunning now, but it would be best to not draw attention to ourselves." He said in a way that could be either smooth or sarcastic, then Neo appeared with an iceblock to add her two cents.

 **"He's saying you look like a Call-Girl."** She signed with a smug look. Yang blinked in confusion, blankly turning to a sighing Umber.

"That was uncalled for." He muttered, a hand covering the front of his mask.

"What did she say?" The blond asked, almost legitimately curious about what the prick called her.

"Unimportant. Neo and I shall get our guests into their beds, you should find-"

"Find something less conspicuous, got it." Yang waved as she entered the female bathroom, taking her duffle bag with her. There was little time to grab anything from Beacon when the Breach happened, so how she found a familiar set of white and black clothes startled her. It was the outfit from when she and her team went to find Roman, that brought back memories. She quickly pulled on the clothes, though leaving some of the armoured pieces off and taking the liberty to wear a pair of pants instead of a garter belt. Yang then took a look in the mirror, locking her eyes onto her hair. The blond hesitated, but soon hand her glorious locks in a ponytail. She was almost unrecognisable to herself.

The many huntsmen were laying in the many beds, Umber stood leaning against his cane while Neo flicked her iceblock stick to the side. She wore a brown shirt over her outfit, doing little but enough. The girl had a smile on her face, one that you usually had when you remembered something fondly. The petite girl shoved Yang aside as she made her way towards the front door, Umber was less rude.

"Good." He hummed, walking down and holding the door open for Yang. She awkwardly shifted past and once again they were in the darkened streets of occupied Vale, once again the thought of capture flicked into mind.

"So how's Octavia, Fox and Scarlet doing?" She asked, trying to start up some small talk. Unfortunately, the dapper teen answered.

"Medical induced coma for Octavia, pumped to the eyelids with blood thinners. Hopeful stops any further brain damage. Alongside broken bones and a highly damaged eye socket, which is above my surgical skill. Fox is fine for the moment, surprisingly durable to his credit. Scarlet is currently blind, a blow to the temporal loop. It'll last until the swelling reduces." Umber stated, then added. "Sage also had an unlucky wound, blade cut down into his shoulder. Nothing major." Like tht the mood stopped, just a moment before Umber turned them down another path to avoid a squad of soldiers examining some rubble.

"So... who's your friend?" Yang asked, breaking the silence again.

"Acquaintance, or acquaintances." The boy corrected. "Two brothers by the name of Joseph and Anton Petrov." He stated casually, leaving Neo gaping in horror.

 **"The Petrov brothers?"** She signed urgently, Umber merely nodded.

"Joseph owes me a favour." Umber said, but it did little to change Neo's expression of terror.

 **"I hate to burst your bubble, but they made some threats that I don't want to see if they are true or not."** Neo signed with a scowl, but the dapper teen just hummed.

"If you are with me, all past encounters with Joseph are redundant." Umber stated confidently. "Trust me."

 **"I'm going to need something more than 'trust me', I did some bad stuff to him."** Neo argued, finally halting Umber for a moment.

"A cartel kidnapped his five year old daughter, because he didn't smuggle their drugs. I came and fixed the problem, you never mess with a man's family. If you say you've interacted with the brothers, you know that all Slavic Atlesians take family above all." He finished as a racket grew in volume, as they turned a corner onto the street they found the source. It was a bar, full of Abandoned soldiers. Bottles were flying out the door and windows, weapons found themselves flung into the night and a few soldiers themselves were tossed out only to run back in. Yang grew nervous but with a glance at the calm and collected Umber, mimicked his casual pace and stance. The dapper teen caught a bottle mid flight, almost flying directly at his face, and dropped it into a bin.

It was an uneventful trip to some fancy hotel, the boring journey continued up to the second floor where it finally got interesting. Umber suddenly let out a curse, an already rare occurrence, then pulled his Jericho from its holster and jogged towards the end of the hallway. Yang and Neo were both confused until they saw the door open, then spotted the actual door on the floor. Umber peered in from outside the doorframe, his pistol peeking around the corner. The teen sent a sign to Neo before moving into the room, Yang moved to enter but found both a parasol and an angry glare blocking her.

"Clear." Came the call after a few tense seconds, after which both girls entered the destroyed hotal room. They found the dapper teen pulling a sheet over a body, either to respect the dead, or to protect Yang. He turned to look at them, then silently turned and silently walked towards a lone closet. Umber reached with one hand towards the handle, his fingertips barely touching the metal knobs before he was blasted back with the sound of a dull thud. He skidded across the ground, firing wildly at the gaping opening in the wooden closet as his Aura flared brightly. The boy was out of breath, winded but still able to get a few words out. "Check... it!" He gasped and held his chest in pain.

The blond went to move, but found Neo had already found the culprit. In her grasp was a tiny girl in a dingy dress, in the other hand a silenced pump action shotgun. Umber got up onto his knees, ignoring and pushing Yang's attempts to help away, and crawled over. He sat back and gestured for Neo to unhand the girl, who immediately sat down and held her knees close to her chin.

"Did you see who did this?" He asked gently and calmly, getting no answer from the pale, unblinking girl. Suddenly, Umber grabbed her arm and exploded into what seemed like rage. "Accents, names, appearances! Weapons! Anything!" He barked, almost ready to bombard the girl before Yang spoke.

"Umber!" She said firmly, causing the teen to turn quickly and stare at her. His gaze slowly turned back to the now shaking little girl, almost immediately the dapper teen realised his mistake. He had seen an obstacle, not a scared child, one that probably had no clue what he wanted answers to. He quietly sighed, placing his pistol on the nearby coffee table and removing his cold gauntlets. Umber sat there for awhile, then offered a hand to the girl. She finally moved her gaze to the hand before jumping and hugging the boy, who seemed unfazed at first. But this action, so simple in nature, started to break down the barriers he had made years ago. Finally, both shaking physically, he looked up at the two girls.

"Let's go." He whispered.

* * *

They exited the hotal out of a back entrance into an alleyway, where Umber carried the child in his arms.

 **"What will we do with it?"** Neo asked, curious at this new side of Umber.

"We will take _her_ to Anton until we have this problem sorted, assuming they're related from physical traits." He answered sharply, getting the attention of the little one. She had a curious look on her face, so he took the chance to sort out the confusion. "Dyadya Anton?" He asked in Slavic Atlesian.

"Net, Papa." The girl answered quietly, shaking her head.

"Papa's zanyat." Umber replied, making the girl adopt a cute thinking face.

"O-ok." She said in broken English.

"We have a plan. We won't make it on foot before sunrise, so we will-"

"Hold it... right there fuckers." An angry slur interrupted him. "Show me some... f-fucking hands." The man continued. He might've been drunk, but it ain't no reason to not follow the angry man's orders. Neo and Yang hesitantly raised their hands into the air, Umber merely stood there and turned his head. Seems like a child in your arms impedes the ability to raise said arms.

"May I put down the child?" The dapper teen asked calmly. The drunk let out a noise of confusion.

"Ah, t-that's what that is. Fuck me, t-thought it was a bag." He grunted, then let out a groan. "Fine, put her d-down." He finally said, watching carefully as Umber lowered himself to put the girl down. The child quickly ran and hide behind Yang, who saw Umber unbutton his coat and slowly raise his hands. The handle of his Jericho was visible for a second before the boy turned around, finally getting a glimpse at their captor. It was a soldier, that much was clear from the grey padded pants and brass kneepads. Around his neck was a pair of goggles, flight goggles to be precise. The other two took his lead and slowly turned around too.

"How the hell did you miss this guy?" Yang hissed with a scowl.

"Honestly, drunken stumbling wasn't registering in the sense of being followed." Umber replied, most of what he said was heard by the drunken soldier.

"Hey, I's been f-followin' your asses since the bar... and I ain't'sn't drunk, I'm p-perfect sober." The man stated, pointed the gun in his hand at the group.

"May I ask why you followed us?" The dapper teen inquiried, causing the drunk to quickly grow angry.

"Why..? WHY? Because t-that there blond bitch t-t-took my bird's windscreen out! Now I's bloody grounded!" The pilot roared in anger, waving his weapon into the air. Yang almost immediately realised who he was, he was the pilot who almost stopped them escaping into the forest. Guess he held a grudge. "N-now I'm a... fucking fish outta... outta... outta ocean! That's why, you fuck." The soldier finished, his incoherent mumbles slurring together.

"I think the saying is 'a fish out of water." Umber piped up, causing Neo and Yang to snapp their heads to look at him in pure shock.

"H-how about that saying 'shut y-your fucking mouth?!" The pilot barked, leveling his gun at the teen.

"Umber. Stop it, he's the one with the gun." Yang stated, only for the dapper teen to chuckle.

"So am I." He replied, watching the pilot aim up his shot shakily. Only to suddenly dry heave then rush to the side of the alley, throwing up behind a dumpster. The trio of teens exchanged glances before Umber casually dropped his arms and walked over to the soldier, his attention solely occupied on throwing up.

"Hey, mate, need some help?" Umber asked, dropping his usual tone and adopting a less... civilised way of talking. Surprisingly, though not really, the pilot nodded.

"'Er, hold this and... watch t-those bastard huntsmen, yeah?" He mumbled then hurled again, handing over his abomination of a weapon. It was a mag-fed shotgun with essentially no barrel in Umber's eyes and only a pistol grip, the dapper teen recoiled at the sight of the weapon. He took little time to disassemble the gun, tossing the mag out and unloading the shell before tearing the components of the shotgun apart. The sound of clattering metal caught the drunk's attention, who turned to find the towering form of Umber above him.

"Duh fuck my l-life." He muttered, then had a look of thought. "Wow, I's about t-to die in some far-fuck-away land, c-covered in my own bloody guts, and m-my last words are 'fuck my l-life." The pilot slurred, in some sort of weird meta moment. Umber merely tilted his head at the whole unrealistic scenario.

"Tonight doesn't have to mean the end, not just yet." Umber said calmly, getting a harsh chuckle from the man.

"It's either you... or o-or, I dunno. Just d-does... don't hit my f-face please." He mumbled with dazed eyes.

"There is a possible situation, everyone leaves happy. All in one piece." The dapper teen hummed.

"A-a-and what's that?" The pilot asked as he blinked a few times.

"We are the only ones here. You are a loyal soldier, so you tried to fight all four of us." Umber answered, though the meaning didn't get across immediately.

"But one o-of youse is a kid." He stated.

"That's not what it says in your report." Umber replied.

"But that's ly-" The man paused, then his face lit up. "Ooooh. B-but what's in it for you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow sluggishly.

"Your injuries and current state making your assailants foggy memories, and saving the little one from seeing two bodies tonight." Umber answered, turning slightly to look back at the tiny girl. The drunk did the same and sighed slightly.

"G-guess that makes sense." The pilot muttered as Umber turned back.

"Good. Unfortunately, your word won't work alone. It must be believable." The dapper teen said calmly as he spun a blue knife from a separate pocket and raised it, its material unlike his usual knives. "Trust me, I have trained as a medical practitioner. Do not remove that blade, the Aorta Artery resides far too close." Suddenly, the once distant sounds of clanking armour and thundering footsteps grew louder. Umber shoved something into the startled and blank staring man's hands. "Hold this, the effects will knock you out." Was the rushed whisper before the teen turned and dashed towards the trio behind him.

"HALT!" Came the echoing bark, snapping him frozen. Just a metre from the girls. "Hands up, now!" The soldier ordered, Umber slowly obeyed with closed fists.

"Don't do it." Yang hissed as she watched the stubborn and stoic teen give up in her eyes.

"Neo, get them out of here." Umber stated slowly, but calmly. Neo raised her hands and began to sign, slowing down the movements to now aggravate the soldiers.

 **"I can't reach you."** Neo said with a pained expression, the dapper teen merely nodded.

"I can see that. Take Ms. Xiao Long and the girl back to the Lodge, if I haven't returned within twenty four hours... they're yours." Umber said, taking quite the risk now. Neo wanted to argue, but felt her head nodding hesitantly. "Ms. Xiao Long, how many and where?" He asked casually, waiting for the blond to peer around his shoulders.

"Two on your left, eight standing at the entrance in a wedge formation slowly coming closer. They're all knights." She answered, looking back with scared eyes.

"Thank you." Umber said calmly, but inwardly he started to grow wary that his plan might not work. Either way, the soldier grew tired of the conversation.

"SILENCE! Stop talking immediately and do not move!" The order was shouted at the teens and child, of course Umber ignored his order.

"Too late. Neo, go!" He ordered firmly, the petite girl quickly grabbed the pair on either side of her and yanked them close before the hail of bullets reached them. Luckily, the only thing they hit was the glass replicas. The Legionnaires behind Umber grunted in anger, but continued still. Even if they had lost a large number of their captives, they'd bring back at least one.

"Kick that cane back over here!" The soldier snapped, the dapper teen used his foot to gently kick it behind him.

"We'll make you regret doing that to Fern, fuckhead." Another called out, causing some of the soldiers to growl and snarl in agreement.

"My only regret... is that it didn't go off sooner." Umber stated loudly, silently turning his head to stare at the closest soldier. Then he opened his fist, exposing the single grenade pin stuck around his index finger. The man behind him recoiled and spun around, just in time for the rest of the occupants of the alleyway to hear a loud ping. They collectively watched the hands of the pilot drop a cylindrical object that rolled into the centre of the enclosed space, right between the larger group and pair of Legionnaires. With that, a thunderous bang and blinding light tore past their visors, into wide open eyes.

"Holy shit! I'm fucking blind!" Came the cry from the first Legionnaire, who quickly dropped his vector to raise his visor and cover his eyes.

"Damn flashbang!" Another cried, ducking behind his shield to wait for the ringing to stop.

"WHERE'S ALEX?" Came the last coherent shout of pain, coming from a soldier who held a bolt-action rifle.

The screams and groans were ignored by Umber, who immediately turned and grabbed his cane off the ground, ignoring the slight ringing from the flashbang. He thought about killing the soldiers, or at least crippling them, but it was washed away when he saw the first two slowly getting up. The dapper teen dashed over the Legionnaires, skidding out of the alleyway and turning down the street.

Only to feel a great pain erupt against both his back and near depleted Aura, stopping him as yellow sparks ran just above his skin. Umber ducked under a second projectile, catching sight of it as he turned to great his aggressor, quickly identifying it as a yellow lightning bolt. He stood tall and saw a pair of Legionnaires, wearing the same brass armour with a mirror-like shine to it. In the left soldier's hands, a great halberd with a head designed like a dragon's; though it was stained black as a hideous contrast with the golden brass. The second on the right held a large sword over his left shoulder, its length only interrupted by the point of the blade and a second handle about halfway up the blade. In his right hand was a round shield, glinting brightly.

This pair felt familiar to Umber, who realised why when the halberd soldier spoke.

"What's up? Feeling a bit shocked to see us again?" He sneered with a cheerful tone, swinging his halberd up to land in his other hand. "Too bad it's in this situation, eh?"

"Quiet, we have our orders. Capture and bring back any huntsmen we find to Raiko." The second grunted, unknowingly letting Umber know exactly who they were.

"Sam and Alex, quite a long time since our last meeting." He stated calmly, flicking his cane back and revealing the rapier blade. "You're with them." The dapper teen nodded towards the groaning soldiers back in the alley, Sam let out a chuckle.

"What gave it away? The armour? Or maybe the bloodlust!" Sam suddenly let out a roar and charged forwards, followed instantly by Alex rushing around him in a wide arc. Umber calmly waited then smacked the halberd's head down, placing a firm foot upon it. The twin let out a grunt of surprise as he was launched over the teen's back, hand still gripping his weapon. Umber turned to face Alex, only to be knocked back by his shield as he slammed his entire weight against the dapper teen. Umber had to slide to the side as Alex slashed downwards with his greatsword, but then had to duck under the surprise thrust from the recovered Sam.

The dapper teen had to quickly dash back as Alex swung his sword around, only to find Sam on his tail with a great leap. The twin smashed into the ground and swung his halbard in a wide arc, missing Umber by inches. The teen moved to stab at Sam, but Alex appeared from the side and deflected the thrust before punching with his shield. Umber stumbled and jumped to the side as the greatsword came flying towards him, only to stop as Sam thrusted Blitz Fang ahead of him. The twins quickly spun and swung both weapons together, trying to crush Umber. Alas, they failed and the dapper teen rolled backwards. He let out a shaky breath, then adopted a stance: his rapier held upright with the blade against his mask.

Sam and Alex merely stalked forwards, then Sam stomped and pushed his halberd forwards. Another bolt flew at Umber, who dashed to the side to find Alex sprinting at him with his shield raised. He had to roll again to dodge the downwards smash, causing Alex to glance up and grunt in annoyance. Sam charged from the side of his brother, running straight at the teen who prepared to parry the thrust. Only for the twin to suddenly turn on his heal and swing his weapon around behind him then across his body at the teen. The attack missed thanks to Umber's reflexes, but left Alex enough time to kick Umber in the knee.

Alex pulled Thundering Brass into the air with a loud, and exaggerated, grunt before bringing it down upon the downed Umber. The boy had to roll yet again to dodge the savage blow, then leap to his feet as the twin reared his blade back again. Across the street, Umber spotted an Auxiliary sprint around the corner with no visible weapons. The soldier locked eyes with the dapper teen before reaching behind his back and yanking a horn out, bringing it up as he took a great breath. Suddenly, the air was filled with the sound of the warhorn, a great angry sound that would no doubt attract attention.

He was reminded by Sam and Alex as the latter jumped through the air, both hands gripping the notches and holding the sword above his head. Umber gracefully spun around the impact, but was winded by a surprise blow from the blunt end of Blitz Fang.

"This isn't a challenge, you put up more of a fight in the tournament!" Sam sneered, slamming the handle against his chest. Umber remained quiet as he quickly formed a plan, one that involved the rooftop behind the taunting boy. Alex swung his blade forwards, nicking Umber as the boy dashed to dodge, leaving him stumbling off balance. "Come here!" Sam roared and stomped forwards, his free hand reaching back with clawed fingers. He lunged towards Umber with unexpected speed, grabbing his shoulder with an iron grip before turning and flinging the teen backwards. The boy fell and turned to stare up at Blitz Fang as it was pulled behind Sam and into the air, blocking the view of two bullheads approaching their position.

Suddenly, the dapper teen's plan was put in motion as he leapt to his feet and stepped backwards. The blade of the halberd slammed into the ground in front of him, leaving Sam exposed. But instead of striking the twin, Umber stepped onto the blade. Sam seemed surprised, though didn't hesitate in bringing the weapon back into the air to fling the teen off. Only when Umber flipped through the air and landed on the rooftop did Sam realise his mistake.

"Coward!" He barked, rushing forwards and swinging his halberd low to the ground behind him. The twin stopped and swung Blitz Fang around and thrusted it up towards the peering mask of Umber, who leaned over the edge of the building. The face quickly disappeared as a huge black claw appeared and attempted to strike Umber from his perch, not reappearing as the great claw spasmed. The twins were in shock as they witnessed the half-formed Grimm claw quickly shrink and disappear into the blacked end of the halberd. The dragon's eyes almost seemed to glow a faint red, not unlike those of the beasts of darkness. Leaving Sam to say only one thing as the Vulture airships flew overhead and the squad of Legionnaires joined them.

"When could you do that?"

This day was definitely not his best. Umber had not only shown two uncooperative people his hideout, not only allowed a child into the Fold, not only broke a huge number of hunters out of an occupied city... but he also almost got bitch slapped by a Grimm claw, appearing from the blade of Sam's weapon. So thus to spite him, Umber's escape was short lived as he dropped from another rooftop to hear a pair of Vulture transports fly overhead. One touched down and unloaded a large crew of twenty soldiers, both Auxiliaries and Legionnaires, while the other swung around and leveled two gatling guns at the teen. He checked behind him, finding the wall too high to climb. Umber quickly swung his attention back to the armed squad in front of him, all readying multiple weapons

Some wielded ranged weapons, vectors and rifles, while others held swords, spears and shields. One in particular had nothing in his hands, but his presence made the soldiers tense. Perhaps a commanding officer, or a Captain. The few with melee moved forwards cautiously, those with shields taking the vanguard of the movement.

So Umber readied himself, pulling his Jericho out and keeping it at his side as the air around the rooftop tore though. His coat bellowed and his mask was blank, his rapier poised for attack just as his pistol was ready to fire. This night, blood would spill, just like the many times before.

Then the dapper teen felt a hand on his shoulder and was spun around, the solid grip almost like a vice. Umber barely had enough time to blink as he felt his face and Aura smashed, he figured out why when the second headbutt came. The teen was sent flying onto his back by a powerful punch from the mysterious figure, who stalked towards him and slowly began to raise his hand.

"Perit tua fortuna!" Came a harsh voice, the blurry image of the figure raising a thumb and keeping it horizontal then changing it to a vertical position. Umber could barely make out a pair of enraged eyes from the yellowish blur, no doubt he was concussed.

"Dulce somnii!" Was the last thing Umber heard as the thumbs up finally landed upside down and a boot flew towards his face. Not the best way to end a night.

 **Like that the chapter ends, finally this ends and actually gets out! Honestly guys, I'm sorry for the delay. Nothing much I could do except bother my friend, but eh. Anyways, expect the next one to take at least another three years to get done. I'm joking, it'll be out faster than this behemoth.**

 **Ah, translations for the end. "** Perit tua fortuna **" means "** Your fortune dies **", and "** Dulce somnii **" means "** Sweet dreams **"... at least that's what Google Translate says. The end may seem rushed, but I'm just over this sitting here collecting dust.**

 **Next chapter is the Abandoned reaction, growing closer to chapter 40... the end of this volume hopefully. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Cheers**


	29. ABND: Old Faces

**Getting closer to 40 now, that'll hopefully be a dose of excitement. Some things about the novel of last chapter. Pipsqueak saw the prison as crazy because, as a child (a very anime-esk child) seeing people in cages would no doubt bring a lot of questions up. The Latin speaking soldier will have a larger part at another time, just know his name is Hadrian Ferro. Yeah, that Hadrian, my fellow historians.**

 **Anyway, this time it's back with the Abandoned, with more focus around Raiko in some sense. Hope you enjoy this chapter, which isn't 23,000 words. Sorry, but novels in the forms of chapters are a bit too long for me.**

"...causality numbers are low, with only two deaths. Auxiliaries Arthur and Damos, under the command of Captain Foxtrot. Those in the towers were knocked out by a chemical gas, while the squad guarding the hunters that escaped suffered more physical forms of unconsciousness."

"..."

"The reports state that the huntsmen teams that escaped include CRDL, SSSN, NDGO and CFVY. Three of the high value prisoners were also-" The Legate was interrupted by Raiko shouting and slamming a fist into a tree, shattering the base and causing the old oak to collapse.

"Vulcan, where are they?" The Link snarled as he glanced at his taller ally, who had a frown of worry on his face.

"We don't know, the person responsible is currently on the loose. Trust me, Raiko, we will find them." Vulcan stated firmly, placing his mechanical arm over his chest. "I promise that."

"Promises have been losing their meaning, Captain Foxtrot will be reminded of that." Raiko snapped, his expression of pure anger.

"The Captain may have failed, sir. However, he's only been in command for a month now. Give him time-"

"Time has already been wasted, Vulcan. I sent that colosseum with Captain Glare two days ago, now we are weak. If news of this _event_ reaches outside ears, Atlas may take the chance to attack. Our men may be strong, but we are still outnumbered." Raiko said with a sigh, sitting down on the stump of the oak. "It was a month right? One month until we have the reinforcements?"

"Two weeks, three at most." Legate Vulcan replied, moving to rest on one knee. "Vale has numbers, enlistment could be an option."

"Not yet." The Link grunted. "We do not have their trust yet, or the means to properly train these people." Raiko continued waving a hand at the city below them, at the people within its streets. "When they are forced into a war, perhaps then we shall begin enlisting civilians." Raiko finished, dropping his hand but keeping his purple gaze over the city. Vulcan however ignored the view to stare at the Link himself with concern.

"You are troubled." He stated finally. "About the girl."

"Velvet is irrelevant at this time, once we have found where she and her friends are hiding, I will personally see to her execution." Raiko snapped with a scowl, yet his Legate shook his head.

"You won't execute her, I already know that. Mark her and just be done." He said, almost begging to the Link.

"I'd rather a living hand take her, not by them." Raiko grunted firmly, crossing his arms and glaring at the Legate.

"Fine. Just don't let your emotions get in the way of leading us, Raiko." Vulcan warned before standing up, stretching his mech's arms and starting towards the cliff face. The pair of Centurions on his shoulders exchanged a glance before both disappeared from Raiko's view, the distant thud of the mech slamming into the ground echoing in his ears.

"If only I could." Raiko whispered before turning and walking towards Beacon, ignoring the black haired woman leaning against a tree a few metres away. She had a blank expression, one that never changed as she watched him leave the gardens. The academy was desolate, barely anyone walked its grounds anymore. Only hollow Centurions, the Link himself and very rarely any other soldiers. Some sort of taboo has been put upon the school, Raiko had a few theories, mainly the location being home to those that they now hunt.

There is one idea that he harbours privately, deep within his mind. It's that some of the soldiers fear him. Their stares, or lack of, unnerved him. He knew that the Link was to lead his armies to defeat the hunters that had betrayed their ancestors, but he also knew of how some went-

"Ave, sir. News from Captain Foxtrot." The Link blinked and turned to find a Legionnaire, saluting and holding his head high.

"This better be good." Raiko muttered then gestured for the man to continue.

"The one responsible for the breakout has been found and captured, the Captain is bringing him as we speak." The man reported, giving the Link a reason to keep that Captain around a little longer.

"Good, tell Captain Foxtrot that I will congratulate him personally for his efforts." Raiko said, a warm smile on his face. The soldier coughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ah, thing is sir, the Captain didn't actually do much. It was mostly Alex and Sam, with one other soldier popping in out of nowhere and knocking the coward out." The Legionnaire said nervously, his helmet looking out in thought. "Weirdly, I've never seen armour like that..."

"So, Foxtrot is taking credit?" The Link asked coldly, staring down at the man. "Ignore what I said, simply tell him I'll be waiting." He waved the soldier off and sighed, watching the man march off towards the docks. Then a Centurion passed his gaze, he glanced at it once then back at the soldier. The Link blinked and turned his head completely towards the knight, finding quite the sight.

Upon the Centurion's head, resting against his solid plume, was a tiny corgi. Sleeping blissfully with shallow breaths as the soldier lumbered around, both seemingly fine with the strange situation. The Link noticed the extra 'clunk' to the Centurion's jerky strides, peering at the midsection of the knight he found what looked like a white block, which was joined by a number of cans of dog food. Raiko couldn't get an answer even if he wanted, the Centurions were silent. No matter what, not even if they had a body again, they'd never speak.

Raiko shrugged and turned away, walking deeper into Beacon and towards a place that he had declared his own. He opened the door and stepped into the Music Hall, standing there in the doorway for a second to stare at the clean room. Vulcan had advised he do something to fight off boredom, so Raiko did the one thing that he felt needed to be done.

"Hmm. Goodwitch was right, it was a pity that nobody learns these arts anymore." Raiko said to himself as he ran a hand over a violin, far more clean now than in years. The purple eyed teen turned his gaze towards the pipe organ that dominated the wall, now smashed and ruined. The keyboard was bent and charred, while the pipes were melted and wrought. All because of her. "Damnit." Raiko snapped as he remembered tearing the instrument apart for its constant reminders, but it did little to completely halt her face in his mind.

The Link slammed a fist into the pipe organ and grunted, pulling back and watching the keyboard completely fall off. With that, Raiko left. No longer quite as interested as before to calm his nerves. It wasn't his fault though, well it wasn't just his fault. Many problems flew around in his head, almost one thousand. One thousand souls, one thousand thoughts, one thousand maddening emotions. Raiko knew that the Link's power wasn't a light burden, it was usually gifted to a child of Regnum Aes at the young age of six or seven. But from his own investigations, he found that many of the previous Links went insane early on.

Raiko shivered at the feeling of unease, he ignored it and glanced at his hands. His pale palms were sweaty, however what attracted his attention most was the tips of his fingers. They were charred black, skin that looked like coal or stone. This wasn't the only injury though, his shoulder ached from the multiple dislocations and his chest had newer scars around his ribs. The unfortunate curse of the Link, the Semblance of every past soul who held the name, but unable to wield every single one without consequences.

He blinked and stared back at the pipe organ, finding the wreck with confused eyes. Why did he break it? It didn't hurt him, did it? The Link shook his head and walked out of the room, not exactly knowing the purpose of entering the Music Hall.

Somewhere in Beacon, Denty the Centurion stomped towards the third head-pole that he had found. The knight found the first near the edge of a cliff, overlooking a big forest. He soon decided that he and his friend would find the rest. Of course, his little friend didn't mind as he snoozed atop the knight's head. Denty didn't turn his gaze from the tunnel vision on the other side of the gardens, both for his friend's sake and to complete his self-issued mission. Now that he thought about it, this was like a game! Denty liked games, but there wasn't anyone around that would play with the knight.

His musing was interrupted when he reached the carving, which stood before a bird fountain. The stone bowl had a few visitors, mostly sparrows, that were enjoying the water. Denty took the time to watch quietly, intently examining the avians with intense silence. The silence was only broken by Zwei, who awoke and let out a yawn. While it wasn't a loud sound, it still startled the birds enough for them to fly away. The Centurion reached out in vain to try to stop them, but stopped himself before he injured the tiny creatures.

Zwei tilted his furry head at the change of scenery, but accepted the change without a problem. His steed's movements were strangely comfortable, once he had gotten over the noise. The Centurion's left shoulder hovered up as he reached for the newest carving, placing it in the hollow socket with the other two, making a light bang against the metal. Denty turned his body slowly and took another moment to turn his gaze towards the main school. The knight had more than enough time on his hands, since the Link wasn't taking the chance to move a larger force out of Vale. So he explored the entirety of the interior, picking up many trinkets and other things on the way. After that, the exterior was next and the discovery of the first totem head.

Denty popped his arm into open segments, the screeching metal making Zwei react with a far too human wince. From the arm plates, a small doll fell into his waiting grasp. It was simple, wearing a little white dress and having a white ponytail off one side of the head. While it had horrendous craftsmanship, it was a unique find from one of the dorms. The Centurion's body shook ever so slightly, almost like a child who couldn't wait for an adventure. He held the toy with a gentle grip, light enough for... say a small corgi to tear the doll from his gauntlets.

Suddenly, Denty was tearing after the tiny dog, stomping and flinging his body this way and that. The pair passed a certain black haired huntress, who stood dumbfounded as the hulking knight swung his hands in a vain attempt to grap his toy back. At least now she could get her mind off her daughter.

* * *

Sam sat on a bench in some park, simply staring at the ground. His halberd rested against his shoulder, the blackened blade staring at the sky with red eyes. The golden eyed boy wasn't feeling anything at that moment, well other than sadness. He had heard from one of the soldiers that last night there wasn't one death, but three. Thankfully, that number should be only two thanks to the efforts of hospital staff, but while one may live two are dead.

Men of Regnum Aes... dead. It didn't seem possible in his own mind, not even a slight thought of the Abandoned losing men. The Breach wasn't counted, those soldiers were turned into martyrs fighting for the glory of the Link. These men? They died cruel deaths, deaths meant only for huntsmen.

"Sam." A voice called and the boy looked up, finding Alex walking towards him. His twin wore a concerned expression as he approached, his familiar greatsword resting on his shoulder. "Radioman is on air at the moment, come on." Alex said and gestured the way he came, yet his brother shook his head and remained seated.

"Not in the mood." He muttered, still torn apart by the deaths. Alex sighed and stepped closer.

"Sam, enough." He snapped and dragged his twin to his feet, letting the halberd hit the ground. "You are a soldier, you should expect deaths in this time. Do not allow the passing of two hinder you or any others, we must stay strong for our ancestors. For our family." Alex stated firmly, glaring into the eyes of Sam. The twins stared at each other with emotions of hate and anger, then Sam chuckled and cracked a grin.

"Man, I was turning into Felix there, eh?" He laughed and slapped Alex's shoulder before kicking his halberd up into his hand. "Yeah, let's go listen in. I'm waiting for some recognition for taking down that dapper bastard." Sam said cheerfully, walking off and leaving Alex to stare after his brother. It was obvious that he wasn't alright, but he couldn't dwell on it. The glory of battle numbs those feelings, at least for him. Speaking of glory, where was Raiko's banner?

"Hmph." Alex snorted and wandered after Sam, shrugging the thought away.

They both entered a street that was home to a gathering of soldiers, mostly Pathfinders and Legionnaires. The flamethrowing troopers sitting around a small radio, while the heavier soldiers stood and leaned against walls. All in all, about eleven people were there, including both twins and a small boy who was perched atop a Pathfinder's knee. The street kid wore scrappy clothes and a trench coat, probably stolen. Alex and Sam arrived just to hear the end of the Radioman's report.

"Ah, you were too slow!" One of the soldiers jeered, chuckling to himself.

"Oh! Turns out we got some more news!" The small radio cried in excitement, causing Sam to flash a smug grin at the man. "From the sounds of things, one Hadrian Ferro has in fact assisted and successfully arrested the one responsible for the second breakout of Vale. Come on guys, keep those prisoners in check. Like seriously, these huntsmen have been proven to be a danger to everyone. Ignoring the safety of civilians to attack rescuers, committing crimes and goddamn lying to everyone!" The man's voice roared, silencing the group as they stared at the radio. "That's all for now folks, enjoy this piece from Your Chemical Breakup. I need a moment."

As the music played, the boy piped up. "He seemed pwetty cwanky, and what did the huntsmen lie about?" It was an innocent question, but one that one of the Pathfinders was more than eager to answer.

"I'll let you in on a little secret that the hunters kept, yeah?" He suggested cheekily, adopting an accent. "There's actually a really bad person, like think a big ol' bully but even worse, that controls the nasty Grimm." He let out a bark of laughter at the child's expression of surprise and awe. "Yeah! I didn't even know until my friend, the Link told me." That got the others to laugh in amusement, with Alex surprisingly being the loudest. "So the huntsmen hid this from all of us, even though they didn't even try to stop them! Imagine that."

"I'm imagining what the Link will do when he hears of this." Another soldier pipes up, catching a glare from the soldier.

"Umm." The boy said uncertainly, twiddling his thumbs. "Who's the Link?" Once again the question was an innocent one, but it seemed slightly out of place in the eyes of Alex.

"He's our Commander, our boss." The twin grunted, shooting a glance at Sam. His brother mistook the silent gesture and smiled at the boy.

"The Link is a great warrior, far better than all of us. Thanks to-" Sam doubled over as Alex played off the albow to the gut as a stretch, staring at the soldiers around him.

"Back to work, you have patrols that need to be done." Alex stated frimly, jerking his head to the side. The soldiers grumbled but stood up, the Pathfinder lowering the boy down gently before hauling his flamer into his hands.

"Let's get back to the grind, boys." He said sarcastically and lead half of the men away down the street, while the other half took both the radio and the other way. All that was left was the boy, Alex and Sam. Alex leaned down to the boy.

"I'll be keeping an eye on you." He grunted and stood up, turning and walking away. Sam followed after with a confused expression.

"What the hell is up with you?" He asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"That kid stole that guy's coin, three of them, all in his back pocket." Alex answered, gaining a look of surprise that caused him to snort with amusement. "I may be the most beaten down, but I'm not blind. Now let's get back to Beacon, Raiko wants us there." The twins wandered off in silence, one calm and the other looking back and trying to find the boy.

Felix. That name was despised among most of the Pathfinders. That single Auxiliary has caused far too many problems, all due to either an outburst in a bar or an outburst outside a bar. So thus, about almost every bar in Vale had three or so beefy soldiers on constant watch for the shark faunus. Vex was one such soldier on duty, thought calling it a duty was being kind. It was boring, watch the same people walk in then out a few hours. Just the same old people. Nothing new. Just... the same.

"Hey, eyes up." His partner called, pointing out a particular man stumbling towards them. He wore the uniform of an Auxiliary, but it was in ruin. Stained and covered in something foul, even his once shining mask was dull. Felix wore an enraged snarl, his sharpened teeth equally filthy as his clothes.

"Sweet fuck." The second soldier muttered in disgust, moving through the crowd. Vex and the other man followed, pushing their way towards the drunk. Felix let out a guttural laugh and stumbled against the wall, leaning on in and staring at the three soldiers.

"S-su-sup, ca-can I g-gets a dr-dren-drink?" Felix slurred, somehow still conscious enough to poke Vex in the chest. The Auxiliary glared behind his mask and flicked the hand aside.

"Felix, you're filthy, get back to the camp." He ordered, only for the other faunus to scowl.

"Ge-get fu-fulk-fucked." Felix sneered and laughed, suddenly doubling over. He emptied himself of his most recent meal, almost directly onto the boots of Vex. Fortunately, he moved back before the vomit could hit. Felix stood up again and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, doing little to clean his face and only smear the disgusting mess across his face. The man next to Vex shivered.

"Get out of here." One of the soldiers barked, stepping forwards and shoving the Auxiliary.

"F-fuck off! You din-didn't ha-have yor-your best friend f-fucking killed, oni-only to be cawl-called a fucking ma-mar-martyr!" Felix shouted, stepping forwards and attempting to shove the other man. Unfortunately, the second soldier next to Vex stepped forwards to meet him and gave a swift cross punch to the jaw. Felix reeled around and smacked into the wall, sliding down it with an expression of shock.

"You're a disgrace to the Abandoned, and a disgrace to Regnum Aes." The soldier spat and kicked the fallen drunk's gut. "Conor died a true soldier, all you're doing is trying to desecrate his glory." Another kick. "All you've done since he's died is fucking cause problems!" Another kick. "Now Captain Crimson has us watch out for your sorry ass instead of reinforcing the border!" Another kick. "We came to kill huntsmen!" Another kick. "Not our brothers-!"

"That's enough!" Vex snapped and tore the man off Felix, throwing him back. "Watch your tongue, we are here to protect Vale." The man snarled, but soon noticed the crowd around them. The soldier spat to the side and stormed off, followed by the other man. Vex watched them leave and knelt down next to Felix, hearing the sobbing even louder now.

"I j-just wanted min-my free-friend here." He whispered. "Now he's gone." The Auxiliary sat there for a few hours, watching over the broken man. The man who once called himself a true soldier.

* * *

On the Beacon airpad, Raiko stood with his arms crossed. There was a pair of Centurions behind him, adopting their usual stance with their rapier held pointed at the ground. His purple eyes were locked on the Vulture approaching the academy, one that held Captain Foxtrot and the one who was responsible for the crime of freeing the hunters. The Link felt his blood boiling but quickly calmed himself, he would have another time to release it.

The airship slowly descended as the side door was thrown open, revealing a smug looking Foxtrot. He leapt from the Vulture to the ground and slapped off a salute, completely full of himself from the Link's perspective.

"Ave, the prisoner is onboard."

"You aren't." Raiko stated, getting a flinch from the man.

"W-well I was just-" The Captain babbled, ignored by the Link as the aircraft finally landed. Then a pair of Legionnaires appeared dragging out a suited man, a thick bag over his head. Though Raiko noticed that there was one person missing from the group, the soldier that actually caught the figure.

"Where is the soldier who captured this man?" Raiko asked calmly, turning his glare back to Foxtrot.

"I-I did, sir."

"So you say, Captain Foxtrot. That remains to be seen and proven." The Link snapped and gestured for the other two men to follow him, but stopped when a voice spoke up.

"Ah, so it's you." It came from the prisoner, slightly muffled. "I'm important enough for you, Raiko?" There was a chuckle, which was made into a grunt of pain when one of the Legionnaires smashed a fist into his gut.

"Silence, scum." The other barked and they started towards the tower, hauling the coughing man with them. Captain Foxtrot and Raiko stood alone on the platform, only the pilot and the other two Centurions as their company. Foxtrot was sweating as the cold stare from Raiko pierced his soul. Then the Link turned and walked away, leaving the Captain to re-evaluate his position. Of course that was a second priority, his thoughts were primarily focused on getting the hell out of Beacon and thus he hopped back onto the aircraft and watched the academy fade into the distance.

Sam and Alex arrived within a few minutes of the good Captain's departure, finding the knights still standing out on the platform as they were dropped off. Sam walked up to one and looked it up and down.

"You going to lead us to Raiko, or do we have to find him ourselves?" He asked sarcastically, putting the pair into motion as they turned and began to stomp with jagged and jerky movements. Alex cuffed the back of his twin's head as he walked past. "Hey, the hell was that for?" He snapped, getting a backwards glance and smirk.

"Just for old times." Alex answered and waved him up. "Let's not keep him waiting."

"Man, this place used to be bustling, now it's a ghost town." Sam noted as they walked the eerie grounds. "Not another person in sight, I've said this before, but the huntsmen would be a welcome change from constant silence mixed with grating metal." One of the Centurions turned his helmet, like an owl, to gaze at the boy. Sam flinched. "Don't fucking do that!" He shouted out of reflex, surprising himself when the knight seemed to flinch much like he did before turning back.

"Centurions are too similar to kids." Alex grunted with a shiver, Sam nodded in agreement.

"Honestly, they'd be better at being babysitters than people sometimes, eh?" Sam chuckled. "Hell, even giving one an animal would... be... amusing." Sam trailed off as he caught sight of another of the strange knights, this one had a dent in its chest, who was running after a small corgi which had a doll in its mouth. "How the-"

"Don't bother." Alex interrupted, patting his brother's shoulder. "Not even I would ask." They continued onwards, the Centurion and the dog disappearing around a corner. Soon they found themselves outside the door of one of the combat classes, now refurbished into a makeshift interrogation room. Alex opened the door and found a small crowd in the upper stands, all soldiers holding blunt weapons.

"FILTHY HUNTSMAN SCUM." A voice scratched up into the stands as the twins joined the crowd. "YOUR PAIN IS NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOUR ALLIES." It was a harsh voice, garbled and unknown. Raiko himself stood with his hands on a table in the centre of the arena, staring at the pair in front of him. Opposite him was a Legionnaire, sturdy and thicker armour with a green stripe running down his arm. Lieutenant Brutus was throwing heavy punches at the prisoner, holding him up with one hand and savagely striking his chest and ribs with his other. Umber himself could do little due to the ropes around him except grunt with each punch, his Aura long since gone.

Sam and Alex watched as Brutus tossed the dapper teen backwards towards the table, where he slammed into it and slowly slid off. The Link glanced down at the teen and nodded at Brutus, turning and pointing up into the stands at the twins. They got the message and leapt over the railing, landing with heavy thuds.

"You started without us." Sam stated with a hint of hurt, Raiko just nodded.

"You took too long." Was the reply as Brutus dragged the tied up Umber into a discarded seat, giving one last punch to the gut before turning and saluting to the Link.

"CAPTAIN CRIMSON IS REQUESTING MY PRESENCE, IT WAS A PLEASURE DOING BUSINESS." The Lieutenant chuckled deeply, walking towards the locker rooms to get up into the stands. Alex cracked his knuckles and stepped forwards, but Raiko rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I think physical pain will do nothing more, though it will still be an option." He said calmly, getting a gruff grunt in agreement. Soon Alex and Sam stood on either side of Umber, the teen himself slumped in his bounds. Raiko pulled out his own seat and sat down, staring at the blank mask on the teen's face. There was silence as the Link merely stared at the breathless teen, though eventually it was broken when Sam groaned and harsly pulled up Umber's head. Umber glared silently at the twin before turning to the Link.

"You always were different, like me in another time." Umber hummed, coughing a few times.

"Different upbringing, different personality." Raiko responded with a nod, causing Umber to chuckle.

"Quoting my words, strange to hear them said back." He stated, tilting his head. "Though I'm not here to be quoted, or killed."

"No, you aren't." Raiko agreed, crossing his arms. "Though an execution could be arranged." The Link said casually, smiling at the dapper teen. Umber let out another pained chuckle, shaking his head.

"Should've arranged it sooner." Suddenly, Umber threw his arms up and stood up. Alex was already moving forwards, but was caught off guard when Umber turned and grabbed his outstretched arm and yanked. While he was pulled forwards, Alex felt another hand grab his helmet and direct him downwards. Right towards the table. With an echoing bang, the dapper teen released the teen and stared at the Link. Alex, while dazed, could see the dent in the table. Once more, silence reigned.

Until Sam let out a giggle.

"He got you good."

Then the soldiers leapt from the stands.

 **Ah, another chapter and another spot of Umber, he's been getting the spotlight eh? Anyways, I'll probably have another chapter after this to continue it, or I might actually see what Jaune and that are up too. Hell, maybe even Chirpy will get a chapter. I'll have to think about it, just know that Randy the mailman has left Vale.**

 **Right, so a little look into my head. I'm thinking that the Legates, yes plural, will be the Link's advisors. Something like that, so they get the honor of saying Raiko's name. Captain Foxtrot will get replaced, but not now, not enough soldiers to be good candidates. Felix is going through hell for the reason of causing trouble, thus interfering with the mission and making it harder for the Abandoned to earn Vale's trust (just in case you didn't understand the hate train). That's about it for any important stuff, at least I think. Leave a review if you want and I hope you enjoyed**


	30. ABND: New Deals, New Cards

**Trying to get back into the swing off things, sorry bout this late chapter but practice exams popped outta the fucking atmosphere and decided to ruin my weeks. Number 37, getting closer now, soon 40 will be upon us. I shouldn't be saying this just yet, but I might do a sequel. Too much is left unanswered and this universe I've created is too good to pass up and forget just yet.**

 **Umber may be a bit different, my friend writes him differently from me. So expect some OCC-ish moments, but I've tried to keep to my friend's ideas and path. Anyway, enjoy this chapter of mainly talking and having a good ol' happy time.**

The soldiers swarmed Umber, weapons already preparing to smash the teen down. Unfortunately, their opponent wasn't ready to be beaten just yet. The dapper teen ducked under one of the brass batons and sent an uppercut to the man's jaw, spinning around another soldier's punch and grabbing his collar to throw him at another. Suddenly, Umber felt himself lifted off his feet by a Legionnaire and slammed onto the floor. The teen wouldn't be kept there long as he slipped from under the heavy soldier and kicked the approaching hammer of an Auxiliary before leaping towards the exposed man, luckily two soldiers got a grip on the teen and yanked him back.

The soldiers surged forwards and Umber kicked and thrashed against the horde, only dazing those that were attacking. Umber felt more hands grab at his limbs, holding him in place as a particularly large soldier stepped forwards and raised a large bat. The dapper teen knowing that if that weapon hit him, no matter where, it would hurt without his Aura.

"Enough." The struggle stopped immediately, everyone turned to the Link. Raiko stood with a scowl, but it was clear to the dapper teen that the man was amused by his struggle. "Let him go." He said calmly and gestured with a hand. Umber felt the hands around him suddenly release, dropping him to the floor. The teen hummed and got to his feet, dusting himself off and taking his seat once agaim as the soldiers made a semi circle around him. "You aren't like other huntsmen you know that? I don't think a single one would've started a fight against his captors, captors who are far more in number and power than him." The Link noted with a nod. "Then again, you aren't a hunter are you?" The question hung in the air for a moment before Umber answered.

"No, I'm not a hunter." He answered coldly.

"Then you are one hell of a good terrorist then." The Link snapped, glaring at the boy. "You've cost me two men, a number of prisoners and time. I should execute you right now." He stated angrily, but Umber said unfazed.

"But?" Umber hummed, tilting his head at the taller man. Raiko raised an eyebrow.

"But you could be a useful asset." That caught Sam's attention, causing the boy to turn around with wide eyes.

"B-but he-" He grunted and shook his head, turning back and ignoring the stare from the Link.

"Those men aren't forgotten, Sam. I'm extending him an offer to repent for those deaths, and to live a little bit longer." Raiko said to his friend before looking at Umber. "So, will you repent for your sins?"

"Possibly. What would I need to do?" Umber asked and narrowed unseen eyes.

"Anything I order, killing targets, sabotage, among other things." Raiko answered, leaning onto the table. "You would be an extension of the Abandoned, safe within our ranks and allowed to complete your mission freely. Though I doubt you'd do this for free." The dapper teen was quiet for a moment.

"I'm listening." Raiko smiled.

"You are more effective than my other agent, from my reports and accounts so far. I'm willing to pay two coin for your immediate service, with two more each completed assignment." Raiko stated, causing whispers to break out among the troops. Umber tilted his head.

"Coin?" He asked curiously, Raiko silently pulled a coin from his pocket and tossed over to the teen. Umber caught the solid object and examined it. "Heavy. Made of gold, mixed with... another metal. Brass?"

"Only half right, that right there is Aes Gold. It weighs the same as a bar of normal gold and costs double the price, at only quarter of the size." Raiko explained proudly, catching the intrigued hum from the teen sitting across from him.

"Valuable, why two then?" The dapper teen wondered aloud. "How do I merit it, not your other 'agent'." Umber asked as he flicked the coin back, spitting the word with hatred and disgust. Unfortunately for him, Raiko wouldn't be sharing that information just that easily.

"I've seen your abilities, not theirs." The Link said as he flipped the coin in his hand. "So, will you take deal. Work for me and go free, or die here without that mask covering your-"

"Two terms of mine, then you'll have a deal." Umber stated. Raiko raised his eyebrow again and nodded.

"Go on."

"First I get access to your history, all your culture, architecture and legends." The soldiers around him exchanged curious glances while Raiko frowned for a moment.

"May I ask why?"

"To learn." Umber replied. "I prefer to know a person's past before knowing them in the present." The dapper teen continued as he leaned back in his chair. "You are an unknown, Raiko. I do not know you, your past, or where you come from. That is a very dangerous combination, thus I wish to make my situation less dangerous." The Link had a face of thought before he nodded.

"Done." He stated simply.

"Second I want passports. At least fifteen to get access through borders of other kingdoms." Umber stated and looked up at the Link, ignoring the surprised murmurs around him. Raiko hesitated before turning and gesturing for Sam and Alex to join me for a moment. They stood a few feet away, Alex spoke first.

"I wouldn't give him those passports, once he's in another kingdom we'll lose him." He grunted with a scowl, Sam shook his head.

"Trackers, Alex, trackers on the passports. I say give them up but ask about why he needs _fifteen_ passports." Sam advised with a smirk, looking over at the masked teen. "He may be planning to take the hunters he freed, makes our job harder."

"Yet it simply delays the inevitable, Sam." Raiko said calmly, his purple eyes glanced at the twins' own. "If he gets them, I have no doubt he'll follow any orders I give. Well, as long as he gets paid at least." He mused, causing Sam to chuckle.

"What, you think he's a bounty hunter?" Sam caught the cuff to the head from Alex with a yelp.

"Not funny, Sam." Alex rumbled.

"It was hilarious." Sam retorted.

"While bounty hunter may be a good guess, I'd say mercenary or contractor fills his description. He's different from a simple, greedy man. He has morals. Morals and money don't usually mix well." The Link stated and leaned closer. "Go find twenty or so passports, that was how many hunters were freed including our friend here, I'm sure he wants to get everyone out. Get trackers too." With that hushed whisper, Raiko turned and smiled at Umber. "Done." The Link crossed the floor and held his hand out for the teen to shake.

The dapper teen stood from his seat and calmly walked over, reaching out and taking the hand. The Link and Umber shook firmly and Raiko smiled warmly, finally the soldiers around Umber sheathed their weapons and stood watch once more.

"Come, I will give you my history. Sam, Alex, find our friend here his passports." With that, Raiko gestured for Umber to follow and lead him out of the room. "Sorry to say, I don't have the most expansive knowledge of legends and history. I do, however, have a collection of books that I am willing to part with." Raiko said cheerfully as he and the smaller teen walked side-by-side. "Great reads I can tell you, especially the 'Stories of Aes' great way to find knowledge."

"Enough banter, why do you want my services?" Umber asked coldly, putting an angry scowl on the Link's face.

"Watch your tongue, Umber. I may be one, but I have the power of many." The taller man snapped before sighing. "I need associates out on the field, those that can blend in. Brass isn't exactly subtle. You and my other agent are my two threads that now make up the web of these kingdoms, while I know a little bit about the other agent, you are someone that I can get an understanding on." Raiko explained calmly, a stark contrast to before.

"I am no agent, I am a contractor. You do not know me yet, Raiko." Umber hummed, glancing up at the Link.

"No I do not, but I do know you can get past my defences and soldiers. Hell, you can even incapacitate and kill them." Raiko exclaimed loudly. "You have skills that I think are better used against another group, perhaps you know of them? You seem to be filled with all sorts of knowledge." Raiko said and glanced down at the boy with curiosity. Umber took a moment to think and only came up on one name.

"Atlas?" He tried, getting a frown and shake of the head from Raiko.

"Seems like Ozpin did his work well." He muttered, catching the tilt of confusion from Umber. "The Headmaster, well previous Headmaster, of Beacon hid a lot from the public eye. His holding of a Maiden, his war with the master of Grimm, his attempts at a child army-"

"Master of Grimm?" Umber asked curiously, his attention well and truly captured.

"A pale witch known as Salem." The Link spat. "Her evil is unmatched and she bleeds cruelty, creating the monsters that we call Grimm. She resides in a wasteland, in the middle of nowhere. My sources have taught me much, though her origins are still unknown." Raiko said as he paused in his walk to peer out of a massive window onto the gardens, watching one of his Centurions running after a tiny dog. "That's new." He muttered.

"A person controls the Grimm, unlikely. It doesn't make sense." The dapper teen said slowly, causing the Link to turn and scowl at the boy.

"She is not human. She is not faunus. She is evil." He hissed, sighing and closing his eyes before looking down at the teen again. "Eventually, when all is done with the huntsmen, when the kingdoms are saved from their lies and deceit. She will be the next target, our last target." Raiko stated with determination, but that determination slightly bristled from Umber's next query.

"Then why not strike at her now?" He hummed curiously.

"Huntsmen still roam these lands, they must all be punished for their crimes." The Link snapped at the smaller teen, waving a hand through the air. "Those bastards left us, abandoned us, on our own to defend against hordes of Grimm. Our ancestors were slaughtered, they were killed not after long age but by the 'protectors' of humanity." The Link hissed, glaring his purple eyes at the dapper teen.

"So you murder children?" Raiko paused to stare at Umber in disbelief, eyes widened and mouth slightly ajar.

"They murdered ours... by leaving us to die, we've come to return that gift." The Link sneered with a scowl. "Any who bear the title of huntsman, no matter who young or old, will die by Abandoned fury." The Link promised with a glint of unreleased rage within his purple and gold eyes.

"Taking Vale, it seems useless. Why take this city?" Umber asked, getting a good idea of who he was dealing with. Unfortunately, once again, Raiko wasn't ready to show all of his cards.

"Perhaps at a later time, right now I'm more curious about you." Raiko mused, flicking a glance to the dapper teen as they exited the building and began to cross the courtyard towards the main tower of Beacon. "What are your origins, what is your goal?"

"Streets, and to survive." Umber grunted coldly, turning his head towards a particular broken part of the school. The cafeteria. Outside its ruined walls and shattered glass, a number of bloodstains remained in large spots. Whoever was there during the Breach was a skilled warrior. "My current goal, fortunately, is to serve if need be." Umber stated with an emotionless tone, staring at Raiko. The man laughed heartily.

"Very clever, Umber. So far, all I need is to give you a means of communication and those books. Service comes later." Raiko said cheerfully, though his happy face was wiped off his face when a black haired figure appeared from around a corner. Umber internally identified her, mostly concentrating on her white, bird-like mask and sheathed katana. "Raven, I suppose I should've expected this meeting." The Link said calmly, getting a snort of laughter from Raven.

"Please, you knew that I would come. I was coming for an actual mission, but now I'm curious to who this new 'contractor' is." The woman said as she shifted her weight, checking out the dapper teen.

"You'll be an answer to both questions later, not at this moment." Raiko hissed, but was ignored by the red dressed woman.

"You. You remind me of myself." Raven stated as she approached Umber, hand rested on her sword's hilt. "Cold, quiet, knowing that the world is cruel to the weak."

"Perhaps." Umber responded casually. "Or I could just be hiding a motive, one unknown to all?"

"Aren't we all?" Raven sneered and stood before the teen, staring at him with red eyes. "I have no doubt that we will meet each other again, so I'll make my introductions now." The woman said with distain, extended her free hand. "Raven Branwen." She simply said. Umber took a moment to examine her posture and knew of some hidden surprise waiting for him.

"Umber Iwashita." Was his response as he reached for the hand. Suddenly, a red blur appeared from the side of his vision, nearing his extended hand. With a swift movement, the dapper teen swung his already outstretched hand down to intercept the blade and shove it aside. Raven stumbled slightly from the deflect, her attention drawn to the point he pushed her blade. Slowly, her gaze turned back to the teen.

"Yes, we will meet again." Raven stated, calm and showing little emotion. "I congratulate you, Umber. Not many surprise me, you are one of the lucky few." With that, the black haired woman turned and walked the opposite way that she came, disappearing around a corner. The massive man let out a grunt of annoyance, shaking his head.

"Now you've meet my other agent." He muttered.

"Contractor." Umber corrected, catching the odd glance from Raiko.

"You truly despise that title don't you?" He chuckled and waved a hand through the air, continuing onwards to the tower. "Care to tell me why? You have been asking me most of the questions." Raiko pointed out, pausing to watch the teen nod in understanding.

"Atlesian Military. They are usually only useful for defending people, not property. The Atlas Special Forces, however, are more capable than the military. Though I don't know many of their agents, I have encountered them on occasion." Umber answered and looked up at the massive man. "Agents are some of the most stubborn Atlesians, matched only by the Slavic families. Specialist Winter Schnee holds many assets, agents are one of them."

"So you dislike the title because of association with the Atlesians?" Raiko hummed, tilting his head. "Understandable, now we should be nearing the-"

"Ave, sir!" A voice called from behind the pair, halting their walk and causing a flash of irritation to cover the Link's Face. Umber turned on his heel and found a masked soldier. His lighter armour and brass mask giving an indication of light infantry, just like those he encountered a few hours ago, except wearing a fill face mask.

"Auxiliary Vex, once again you find your way to me. What message do you have?" The Link asked impatiently, though the soldier didn't notice.

"Another report on the actions of Fe- Auxiliary Felix, attempted assault and disrupting the peace-" Vex feel silent when his leader sighed and raised a hand to his face.

"Please leave it where the others are, I'll look over it later." The Link said with a tired tone and waved the soldier off, only the dapper teen caught the simple salute. He watched the man jog off then turned to Raiko.

"Problems among your men." The dapper teen spoke with a hint of curiosity. Raiko just huffed and continued onwards.

"Felix has been a... troubled man, he has since our occupation." The man replied and scowled. "He is too stubborn to see the full picture, only taking the cover of the book and not the insides." The Link continued. "Nothing but trouble." Was the last he muttered as they entered the second building and crossed the inner halls, entering the elevator and falling silent as they ascended. Umber glanced up at the taller man, finding hims slightly hunched over with a frown on his face. Either from deep thought or his mere presence on the Link's mind.

Finally, the doors opened with a ding and Raiko lead the way out into the office. The entire room was in more or less one piece, though there were a noticeable lack of gears and noise inside. The desk was back in front of the window, while a number of shelves stood against the wall nearby. What caught Umber's eye was the familiar black cane that lay across the desk, his cane.

"Right, your cane is there. Take it if you want and wait here, I have that book around here somewhere." Raiko said as he walked past the dapper teen and started to scan through the bookcases, scanning over each book and taking a few out. Umber approached the desk and reached for his cane, one eye still on the taller man. However, the teen hesitated as he took another look at the surface of the wooden table. It didn't take his keen eye long to spot a bit of wood slightly darker than the rest, a perfect square that lay alone.

Umber glanced up as he slowly brought his finger down to the piece of wood, hearing a faint click and feeling the piece push his finger up. The teen moved the lid aside and found a bound book, greeting his eye with a tanned surface and brass details around the edges and the spine. Across the front of the tome was a series of runes, though they were illegible to Umber. Another glance was spared towards Raiko, who was kneeling down and grabbing the last book of the first shelf. The dapper teen opened the cover and found many pages of differing colour, material and texture. Some were brown, other white and some harsh and others course.

"Oi!" Umber froze and looked up, hesitant to see a fuming Raiko. Fortunately, it seems that all the man had found was a piece of paper. "Forgot about that." He muttered aloud and continued his search, sliding the piece of paper into his white coat. Umber checked for anything more just before he returned the tome, but hesitated once more. Across the second page were the words 'Banished, written by many survivors', this was enough to catch the dapper teen's attention. "Aha! There you are." The voice of Raiko called out happily, putting Umber into a swift start. Just as the large man turned, Umber slid the book into his inner coat and threw his hand back out to grab his cane.

Raiko paused and his smile faltered as he saw Umber staring silently at him, cane not resting but held at the ready. The Link frowned for a moment then spoke.

"If you're planning on attacking me after all my hospitality, you should know you'll lose." The Link warned, slowly lowering his other hand towards his waist and dangling hilt. Umber quickly shook his head, lowering his cane and resting his weight on it.

"Apologies, I have no intention to attack. I am being paid, no need to harm the man who hired me." The dapper teen explained. "It's bad business." He stated, getting a chuckle from Raiko.

"Of course." He muttered and held up the book in his hand, its cover of a blue colour. "This is the 'Stories of Aes', about forty or so pages of tales, legends, culture, architecture and everything in between. Right now, this is the only one in Vale, please try not to lose it." Raiko said and extended it towards Umber, smiling warmly.

"Thank you." Umber responded and took the novel, feeling the weight and taking a moment to glance at it. "This will be an interesting assignment. What is it you need done?" Umber asked, already prepared to work. Raiko waved a hand through the air.

"Your current mission is to leave Vale, seeing you've caused quite the stir with my men. After that, I'll keep in touch. I do not suggest planning on staying in one place. You'll be called upon in due time, when you are, I want results within the day if need be." With that, the Link pulled a scroll from his pocket and handed it to Umber. The boy took the device and nodded at the tall man, it was then that the elevator rung and a familiar duo appeared.

"You have no goddamn idea how hard it is to get passports around here, finding them was easy, getting them up here?" Sam made a noise of annoyance, his arm piled with the cards. Alex walked next to him with nothing in his hands, getting a raised eyebrow from Raiko.

"Why aren't you holding anything, Alex?" He asked simply, getting a shrug in return.

"Sam bet that he could carry more than me, so I took the bet and let him take the lot." Alex grunted, getting a sarcastic laugh from his twin.

"Har har. You're just lazy." Sam sneered and dropped the the pile onto the desk in front of Umber. "Merry Christmas." Sam cheerfully said and gave a little salute before turning and walking away, calling over his shoulder. "I've got a bone to pick with the Centurion who knocked me over when I was grabbing those bloody things." Raiko exchanged a glance with Alex.

"It was hilarious to witness." Alex rumbled and Raiko chuckled, turning back to Umber.

"You've gotten both of your requests, now it is time to complete your end of the bargain." The Link stated and stepped aside, gesturing towards the elevator. The dapper teen slid the passports into his pockets and walked past thpair, his cane clacking along the floor. He turned his masked gaze just before the elevator doors.

"Good day." With that the dapper teen entered the elevator and the doors closed, with the rumble of the machine growing distant from the Link and his friend.

 **Bingo Bongo, number 37 is done. A few more things are in play, trackers and passports, new friends and now more information. The books are more or less of an excuse to give both backstory and expand the whole 'world' of Regnum Aes, since there's little told about it. So what's in story for the next three chapters? Well, the next one is probably gonna be good ol' Chirpy, 39 will be extra fun and 40? Well 40 will be a booming end to this story.**

 **Another thing is the lack of huntsman perspective, which is explained by merely having little idea how to work it in this close to the end. The next story will be more fleshed out, since I'm planning more story for it instead of winging it. Well, planing is more or less just a brainstorm of ideas, so it's still technically planning but eh. I'm still sure it could be done better.**

 **I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Cheers.**


	31. SALM: Welcome the Madness

**Yup, it's another Chirpy one. This one I'll say is gonna have the most OOC out of the characters, but it one of Chirpy's, it's gonna be the norm. Probably. Anyways, this is a short read, the next two will be the most interesting. Ah well, you get enjoy the Chamber Troubles, a very _switching_ read. Bugger, didn't use it right. S-stop reading this! Baka!**

 **Man I'm a mess. Enjoy.**

The grey landscape was usually a quiet place, with only the sounds of barks and snarls occasionally piping up. Today wasn't a quiet day.

"COUNTRY ROADS! TAKE ME HOME! TO THE PLAAAAACE I BELONG!" Came the screams that warned many a Grimm away, one wasn't fast enough to escape the golf cart that came roaring up and into its side, sending the beast rolling away as the terrible singing continued. "WEST VIRGINIA! MOUNTAIN MOMMA, TAKE ME HOME! COUNTRY ROADS!" The maniac within the super charged cart crackled, speeding along the rocky terrain as he approached the pitch black tower that would become his new home. "Man, I love this song!" With that exclamation, the cart hit a bigger bump and smashed into a gnarly spire. Chirpy was dazed for a moment, shaking his head and grinning again.

"That was fun, at least the cart's fine." The man started to look around wildly, trying in true determination to inflict some sort of karma upon himself. The rocky spike answered as it let out a massive crack and shook, Chirpy smiled and slowly started to pump his fist. "Come on, come on, come on!" The spire fell, and missed the cart entirely. It crushed a curious Beowolf, leaving behind a smear of black goo and a fuming Chirpy. "Fuck you God! Just let me have this, you pearly white bastard!" The maniac cried to the sky, letting his head hit the steering wheel with a thud.

Like that, the cart erupted into flames.

"COME ON!" Came the cry of anger as the coated man patted himself down and began walking, or running... or sprinting. In all honesty, the man was doing something unnatural but it got him places. Sometimes those places would still be in one piece when he got there!

Chirpy kicked open the chamber doors with a stretched smile, grin spread from ear to ear. The two of the three occupants of the room flinched while Hazel merely raised his gaze from the table, grunting slightly as he identified the grinning man under the hat.

"Honey, I'm home!" Chirpy shouted enthusiastically as he marched in, shooting a finger gun at Watts and winking a Tyrian. It took him awhile to realise someone was missing. "Wait a minute, wait one gosh darn minute... where's big Momma?" He asked with a snicker, causing a fuming Watts to slam his hands onto the stone table and stand up. Tyrian was mere inches behind him, but saw the glance from Hazel, deciding it was better to sit down.

"I don't think you know who you are referring to-" He was interrupted by a loud groan as Chirpy flew across the table and slid to a stop before the man.

"Le fuck you. I'm confident I now who I am talking about, she's a scariest mother of you lot." The erratic man paused, looking down from the suited man to peer past his boots at the faunus who scowled at him. "Except that guy, he's a fucking lunatic." Chirpy stated in a loud whisper, peering up at Watts with a grin. "You're just a cuddy toy."

"Why you little-" Watts was once again interrupted by Chirpy as he suddenly twitched and his grin disappeared.

"Call me a bastard, you die." Slate said with an emotionless voice, his goggles seemingly unable to stop the cold glare from piercing Watts' soul. "My job is done, I'm the one in this group to provide results. Fast, clean and with little effort." Slate noted, tilting his head. "I'm far more dangerous than a bastard, so do not insult me as such." Like that, with another twitchy jerk, the grin was back in place.

"Bla, bla. Slate has a point though." Chirpy admitted, however the moustached man scoffed.

"You speak as if 'he' is another person, clearly you are insane." Watts sneered with a smirk, only to catch one in return from Chirpy.

"So is that guy." He drawled as he shot a finger gun over his shoulder. "But _I'm_ the crazy one, okay dentist." Watts' felt a vein pop in his forehead, he began to stand with a curse on his lips when the doors opened ominously. The table froze, with Chirpy mid step towards Watts with his hand raised and a maniacal grin on his lips. The pale woman that was Salem drifted into the room, causing Hazel and Tyrian to rise and Watts to straighten. Chirpy decided that the table was fine. Salem raised an eyebrow and glanced at him as she walked past.

"You returned." She said calmly as she took her seat, motioning for the others to do so as well. Chirpy looked around with an amazed expression and opened his mouth to no doubt say something overly sarcastic, but a twitch of his head changed that.

"Yes." Slate grunted and hopped off the table, taking an empty seat. "Your package is now on the move, it'll make its mark soon." He stated coldly, Watts snorted.

"Are you sure it will even get to its target, _Chirpy_?" He asked and Slate turned his head towards the man, slowly and robot-like.

"Yes. Though you are confused, I am Slate. Don't confuse me with that maniac." Slate droned with a scowl, the doctor merely scoffed.

"How do you know it will reach the target?" He asked, casting his eyes to the roof.

"I approached a desperate man and offered him a job, he took it and went on his way without a single question." Slate answered, looking back to Salem. "So, is my initiation complete?" Salem was silent, staring at the man with red eyes, judging him. At last she let out an amused smile to cross her face.

"Yes, your place is now with us. Welcome." She said and nodded at the man, only Tyrian clapped as Slate nodded. The eccentric man twitched once before standing and bowing, lowering himself almost parallel to the stone floor with an over the top arm motion. Chirpy held the pose for a moment before straightening and smirking.

"A pleasure to be of service, Ma'am." He said with a cheeky chuckle, Salem merely nodded. She turned to face Tyrian.

"Tyrian, show our newest member his chambers." She ordered calmly, sending the faunus a small smile. Tyrian grinned maniacally and nodded, leaping off his chair and leading the crazy man through the doors. The meeting room was quiet until Salem spoke again.

"He does have a point." She stated, turning to Hazel and Watts. "He has provided more results than your first initiation, Watts. Even Cinder was slower than this... Chirpy." The pale woman noted, Watts bristled.

"He can't be trusted, Mistress." The moustached man stated firmly, planting a finger on the table. "He is more wild than Tyrian, even then, that madman is controlled by his fanatical love for you." He continued, about to finish but the witch raised a hand.

"Quite duly noted, Watts, but we do not talk about other members behind their backs." She said calmly, an undertone of anger within her voice. The man flinched and lowered his gaze.

"Apologies, Mistress." He muttered and sat back, the pale woman merely nodded and looked towards the doors.

"While you have a point that he cannot be trusted, I find that his... personalities are very adaptable. It would do us well to have someone to replace Cinder, and her 'friends'." Salem stated and glanced at Hazel. "What is your opinion, Hazel?"

"As long as he brings results, I have no problems." Hazel rumbled from his chair, looking up at his Mistress. "His personality, Slate, seems like the best to keep. He brings results."

"Already speaking as if he is two people, Hazel?" Watts sneered, then fell quiet as Salem turned to him once more.

"Is there anymore you would like to say, Watts?" She asked calmly, finding silence as her answer. "Then you are dismissed, do make our newest member feel at home."

* * *

"Man this feels just like home, all dark and brooding with a hint of death outside." Chirpy exclaimed as Tyrian dragged himself through the halls in a slouch, seemingly ignoring the even crazier man who walked behind him. "Man, my uncle would have a bloody field day here. There's a ton of things that he could do around here, and there's only four of you to judge him." Chirpy erupted into laughter, slapping the back of the faunus next to him.

"Do not... touch me!" Tyrian snarled and Chirpy froze for a moment, eyes glued onto the barbed tail staring him in the eyes.

"Oh, hello there." The coated man muttered and looked back at Tyrian. "I'd love to cut this off you know, it's possibly the most fresh of my trophies." Like that, the slightly less crazed man lost his smirk and adopted a look of pure terror, until Chirpy laughed again. "I'm messing with you." His laugh didn't give the faunus much comfort as he retracted his tail, turning and walking slightly faster. Finally, after only a few more 'conversations', Tyrian pushed open a door into a wide room.

"This is your room, do enjoy your stay." He did a ridiculous bow that hid his smirk, but found it turned into a frown as Chirpy pushed him aside.

"Now, now. This will do nicely, real nicely." The insane man murmured as he shut the door in Tyrian's face, leaving him to blink in surprise.

"How... how dare he?" Tyrian snapped and shoved the door open, a snarl on his face. His hand dropped with his mouth as he took in the sight of the previously empty room. It was furnished with a great table in the centre, a large bed behind that, and one wooden chair that Chirpy sat in. The coated man smirked and tipped his hat.

"Like it? It's not what I would've used but it works." He stated with a wide gesture from his arm, the faunus in the doorway only turned his wide eyes to him.

"How did you-"

"Don't worry bout it, it's fine." Chirpy suddenly interrupted, still smiling. Ever smiling. Tyrian backed out of the room and sprinted down the hall, clearly terrified of this single man. "I wonder why?" Chirpy asked himself.

Tyrian skidded past Watts, who was calmly walking towards their newest member's chambers, and slid to a stop.

"He isn't right! He's something else!" He barked with a crazed expression before springing away, leaving a dumbfounded Watts.

"And I thought he was the one to be the most concerned about." He muttered with a frown, continuing down the hall and finding the newly occupied room. He didn't bother to knock as he pushed the door open, pausing when he did so.

The entire room was empty, not a single thing in sight on the floor. Watts stepped into the empty stone room and gazed about, finding even the curtains gone. Something didn't seem right. The moustached man glanced up at the roof for a moment then snapped his head up to gape at what he saw. There was a legitimate castle on the roof, a tiny one but nevertheless a castle. The walls hung like bats, the keep clung like an unpicked fruit and Chirpy sat like a crazy son of a gun. The goggles did little to hide his smiling eyes.

"Like it? I think it's one of the better works of mine." The man stated with a roaring laugh, rocking on the roof. Watts could do little except stare and move his mouth in confusion. "Meet Fort McFu-luck! Flucking genius name, eh?" There was another round of bombastic laughter and finally Watts turned on his heel and left the chambers, though he jumped into a quick dash when the door slammed shut behind him. He only stopped when he couldn't hear that damned laughter.

"What have we gotten ourselves into? First that girl, then that naive boy and now an insane man." Watts snorted to himself. "Fantastic."

Hazel stomped down the hall that lead to his chambers, his arms swinging stiffly. While he would never question his Mistress, their newest ally would be another story. A stranger that walked into Grimm infested territory, demanding a job. A _job._ Hazel grumbled to himself. Then Salem humoured him by giving him the mission to cripple Atlas with the device Watts had made, and sure enough he was back only a day later.

"Hazel!" The familiar voice of Watts called out from behind the massive man, halting his trek. Hazel turned and spotted the usually sneering doctor walking with a faster than usual pace, something wasn't right with the man. "I must warn you to not enter your chambers for awhile, it seems that... Chirpy is rather defensive about that little area right now." The warning was panicked, not unlike Tyrian whenever Salem was angry at him. Hazel raised an eyebrow.

"Why is he near my quarters?" He grunted and crossed his arms, Watts went to shrug but paused.

"Oh." He muttered. "He's right next to yours." Watts coughed once and straightened himself. "Well, Hazel, do enjoy your day." With that, the strange encounter was over just as fast as it started. Hazel didn't bother to take his warning and merely turned and resumed his walk, at least on the lookout for a deranged, multiple personality psycho. He turned the corner that lead to his chambers and froze.

Chripy was standing in the middle of the hall, staring at him. How long he had been standing there, Hazel didn't know. What he did know was that this man was waiting for him in particular. This man, this crazy and unpredictable man, was waiting for _him_. Hazel continued to silently stare back at the coated man before sighing and continuing forwards, wanting to rest for the day. Suddenly, the little man was right in front of his face.

"Luvly day for it!" Chirpy greeted, getting a grunt in return. The larger man stepped to the side of Chirpy, only to be mimicked and stopped.

"What do you want?" Hazel rumbled, raising an eyebrow. The grinning man chuckled.

"Many things, like Tyrian's tail. Not at the moment!" He stressed at the slightly alarmed look from the large man. "No, right now I need your scroll. Mines currently in the mouth of a tiny Beowolf." Chirpy explained casually, getting a frown from Hazel.

"How did-"

"Don't worry bout it, it's fine!" The nervous man interrupted, trying in vain to appear as normal as he could be. "Just... let me borrow your scroll."

"No."

"Please?" His puppy dog eyes didn't faze the unamused stare, Chirpy sighed. "Fine, get fucked." The man snapped and turned abruptly, walking back into a previously unseen door. Hazel caught sight of a number of Grimm, tiny and admittedly cute beasts all frolicking about in the empty room. Where Chirpy disappeared to wasn't on Hazel's mind as he walked past the open door and entered his room, closing the door with a gentle thud.

"Hey baby, want some- OH GOD NO!" There was rustling inside the chambers, soon thuds occasionally popped into earshot. "Hey! Listen, it's only- WHOA!" A loud crash broke through the air. "Hey! Put me dow-" The door was torn open by the flying form of Chirpy who slammed into the opposite wall, covered in silly string. Hazel grunted as he exited his now completely ruined room, miles of string covering every surface possible.

"You shouldn't have done that." The giant rumbled and cracked his knuckles, stomping towards the smaller man who scurried up the wall.

"Hey now, it's never too late to apologise... right?" The shadow of Hazel didn't stop growing over his head. "Right?"

* * *

Salem drifted through the halls with a calm expression, her pale features relaxed. She had heard some noises from down the hall from her allies' chambers, but simply ignored them. It was either Tyrian breaking something, or Chirpy moving the furniture within his room.

These were both proven wrong.

When she turned to corner to meet her newest follower, she found a wreaked hallway. Holes covered the walls, denting the blackened stone in random patterns. She continued forwards to find Hazel leaning against his doorframe, a large pile of pink string wrapped around his shoulders. Salem raised an eyebrow, but the man just jerked his head towards something besides the pale witch. "Tyrian?"

Tyrian was shaking in the alcove of one of the windows that stared out into the wastelands that surrounds them, his only action in response to his Mistress' call was to slowly rock back and forth while gripping his tail. The pale woman would've approached if not for the falling form of Watts that landed at her feet.

"M-mercy." He whimpered as he clawed at her black dress, falling limp after reaching up with a shaking hand. Salem raised an eyebrow, what had her newest pawn done? She noticed that the doctor had a large patch of his hair gone, strange. Then the man of the hour appeared, leaping from a pile of string and bits of stone.

"Gidday, Miss." He greeted casually, slapping off a lazy salute. The witch gave him a level stare.

"How are you fitting in at the moment, Chirpy?" Salem asked calmly, catching the frightening murmurs growing from Tyrian.

"Bout as well as could be, loving my new roomies." There was a pause. "You're probably wondering... how on Remnant did this happen?" He guessed, getting a slight nod in return.

"It would... put me at ease." Salem admitted, folding her hands in front of her. Chirpy let out a low and evil chuckle, finally the tormented Tyrian burst into tears.

"Basically, in short. I dodged punches from Hazy over there, all while spraying him with my _silly string_ , eh? Eh? Anyways, Tyrian turned the corner and boom! I found his tail again. After a moment or two of trying to yank it off, Watts appeared! Bloody brilliant here, right? So essentially, Hazel missed a punch and sent Watts flying!" The insane man roared with laughter as Salem slowly turned to Hazel, raising an eyebrow.

"I was angry." He grunted and shrugged, Chirpy halted his laughter after another second or two.

"Ok, so now there's a terrifying Hazel, a terrified Tyrian and now a terraforming Watts! He's the one that left that hole in the roof! Terraforming? Because it's stone, nevermind. In short, fun was had by all." With the clap he was done. Salem could really only give the insane man a look of respect, not many have managed to create this much hassle within one day of truly joining her. Suddenly, the image changed and it became more horrific.

Salem was now bowing to Chirpy, his complete madness taking him to the top.

"Oh, dearest Chirpy, how may I serve you?" She asked in a sultry voice, getting a smirk from the cloaked man wearing a crown of scorpion tails.

"Remove this faunus from the counsel, his lack of faith is... disturbing." That snarky voice grilled into his head, slowly his Mistress turned and scowled at him. From her mouth, distant words flowed out.

"-yrian."

"-ak up, Tyrian."

"WAKE UP YOU USELESS RAT!"

Suddenly, Tyrian awoke to the grinning face of Chirpy. He turned about to find himself in the meeting chambers, seemingly due to falling asleep. Unbelievable, right? He turned a wild gaze back to the cloaked man, terrified of that knowing grin.

"Wanna know something funny? Most of that wasn't a dream." The mad faunus could only cower as the even madder man cackled with an echoing laugh, the black halls did little to stop its spread. Chirpy was truly here to stay.

 **Big boom. This chapter was essentially a shitpost. The next one will be a whacker, far more story driven than this one. In all honesty, this one was to remind those still actually following that this exists. At least its an update, eh? Anways, stick around. A week or two, or a month, will lead to a shocking end to one story. Cheers.**


	32. BNTY: Exchanging Hands

**It's here and its big, sorry for the long wait and slightly late release. Early December is kinda new year but eh, same difference. Enjoy the read, at least those that are still here.**

Yang's eyes fluttered open with a hazy stare, directed at the roof of the underground complex she had rested within. The measly two hours of sleep didn't help her rise from the sheets, fortunately the unusual sound of laughter did. It's cheery sound reminding her of Beacon… before the fall. The blonde's hand moved over to the scroll at her side, silently rubbing a hand down her face as she checked the time. Her dapper host's deadline was only a few more minutes away from being concerning. Even though he was generally concerning without trying.

Yang let out a sigh as she threw the covers from her body, flinging her legs over the side of the cot before pausing. She had a little friend. The tiny brunette girl had slithered her way around her waist, tiny hands gripping tightly as tiny puffs shifted her chest with soft inhales and exhales.

With cautious movements, she defused the bomb made from the girl's arms. Yang stood and quietly returned the covers over the girl's body, watching her slowly curl up again. She felt a smile pull at her lips, memories of her baby sis coming to mind. The cold air of the bunker-like room stung her exposed skin, giving her the distraction needed to shift away from her memories. Discarding her tank top and shorts for her usual outfit, she wandered down the hall with soft steps.

With the sound of another bout laughter, dodging sleeping teens and three empty mats and mattresses, the blonde arrived to the heart of the noise: the kitchen.

Waltzing inside, both life and smells of beautiful food greeted her. The beret wearing leader of CFVY, the blue haired boy of SSSN and one black haired member of NDGO were standing to the side holding cups of steaming liquid. While Yang wanted to talk, the sight of the breakfast feast took her attention. Bacon, pancakes, waffles and toast. Orange juice, hot cocoa and coffee. Hell, even five or six different types of eggs sat before her along the main centre table.

One blur of speed, one plate and the feeling of pure hunger from the past few days found her piling on food upon food. Unfortunately, the voice of Coco reached her ears.

"Sorry hun, he doesn't want us to start until he's done with the rest." She spoke with a tired grin, peering over her iconic sunglasses. The blonde blinked away the haze of hunger, taking a moment to think over what she had said before frowning in confusion.

"Who's _he_?" She asked, thinking it was one of the teens. The upperclassman just chuckled at her tired expression and flicked a thumb at over to the door, sending Yang the silent hint to turn around. She did, finding the familiar ghost-like sight of a black mask staring back. "Oh, you're still alive, great." Yang groaned with a disappointed glare, the dapper teen walked past her with a sidewards glance. Watching her continue to pile on her second helping of bacon.

"Don't sound so crestfallen, might believe you don't like me." He hummed as he stood in front of a stovetop and flicked a pan up, flinging a pancake into the air. Umber turned back to peer at the trio standing back, catching the glare coming from Yang; her scowl dampened by the piece of bacon slowly entering her mouth bit by bit. "No need for you to starve any longer, dig in please."

"Woo! Don't tell me twice." Came the happy call from Coco, leading the trio to descend upon the feast like vultures. A minute had barely passed before all of the students were powering through their plates around another table, faces proper stuffed.

"Mmm, from powdered eggs and damned preserved bacon with a few old cans of food-" The blue haired boy moaned with delight as he took another hunk of bacon in his mouth. "-just glorious. How'd you do it?" He finally asked and the suited teen hummed in response, just continuing to cook.

"Remember that you aren't the only ones here, show some restraint for the others. If possible." He reminded the group, looking around the space near him before turning. "Could you please pass me that knife?" The dapper teen asked before turned back, Yang watched with wide eyes as Gwen casually picked up said knife, and launched it at Umber's exposed head. It approached with surprising speed, only to end not in flesh but wood. The dapper teen pulled the cutting board from around the back of his head, yanking the kitchen knife from its surface.

Coco let her palm hit her face with groan of annoyance, looking at the smug girl across from her. "Am I the only one who can tell this little 'inside joke' of yours will only end badly." She pointed out dejectedly, throwing her hands towards the pair. Both Umber and Gwen shared a glance before staring at the beret-wearing girl with blank faces, or at least the girl was.

"Yes."

"Without a doubt." Both answered, only Neptune grinned.

"It's a good party trick at least." He piped up, leaving the room silent for a moment. Umber broke the air as he walked over and pulled out a spare seat, joining the four. His head tilted slightly as he looked at Yang.

"You seem more quiet than usual, Ms. Xiao Long. Are you alright?" The girl scoffed at the question, turning her hard eyes up to the boy.

"I'm eating." Came the blunt reply, turning the air slightly frigid. "So when I'm not hungry, then I'll tear into you." She snapped at the boy, staring him down through the tense air. Her gaze crawled from his combed over hair down to his bleached white shirt and neatly folded sleeves that hugged just above his elbows. His gauntlet-free hands exposed a hint of his more scarred exterior, though his missing holster really surprised the blonde teen. Only to have it replaced tenfold by his next words.

"I'm sorry." Umber spoke with a calm tone, his normal emotionless voice ever so slightly showing cracks. Yang's eyes and mouth were wide, flooded with a perplexed look as her expectations of a stubborn argument were washed away. "It was a lapse of judgement to not inform you of my return, it was no doubt stressful for Neo, our little guest and yourself." He paused for a moment, letting the apology hang in the air. "If you expect an apology for the events of that night… my actions speak for themselves, results too. We are all alive, more or less in one piece."

Yang snarled and smashed her fists onto the table, causing it to wobble away. Her rage towards the boy had grown immense, her eyes burning red and her hair literally ablaze. The blonde felt someone grab her shoulder, turning her rage towards Coco; only to notice her eyes locked on Umber.

"Just think about it, it's not the most moral statement but you can't argue with that logic." The leader of CFVY said calmly as she gently eased the fiery teen back into her seat.

"I trust you will direct your comrades to breakfast, I have business to conclude." The dapper teen started to stand only to be beaten by a certain blonde as she darted to her feet, an angry snarl upon her face.

"Where are you disappearing off to now?!" She snapped at the boy, who was casually donning his vest and taking his cane off the back of another chair. Umber turned on his heel and started towards the door.

"I must finish certain arrangements to ensure passage from this city, it is essential for both your safety and mine." The dapper teen said as he flicked his coat around his shoulders, smoothly throwing both arms into the sleeves. "If you feel the need, we leave in five. Accompany if you wish." With that he faded through the door and down the hall, leaving a fuming blonde who twisted around to other hunters in training.

"You all realise he's pretty much batshit crazy, right?" Yang said after waiting for the dapper teen to exit earshot, or at least got far enough away. They blinked in confusion.

"Who, Umber?" The blue haired boy asked slowly with a raised eyebrow, igniting dumbfoundment within Yang.

"Yes, Umber." She hissed with an annoyed stare, eyes narrowed at Neptune. The boy huffed with amusement.

"You mean the guy in an, undoubtedly, expensive suit who put his neck out for us? Sure." He trailed off with a sarcastic tone, causing Yang to throw her arms into the air.

"He drugged you!" She retaliated. "Who wears a mask and shoots people that you can call trustworthy?" It was Gwen who snorted at that statement.

"Superheroes in comics." She said with a slightly irritated smile. "And we are alive, so I think he's pretty good in all accounts. So far he hasn't given reason to believe otherwise." Yang opened her mouth to retort before Coco added her piece.

"Now, I am somewhat with you Yang, he isn't telling us everything. Not to mention I got a feeling in my gut that I can't name.."

"At least there's one person with their head screwed-"

"...but we can't be picky with who we call friends in our situation, hun." Coco finished before the blonde could finish her interruption.

"For f- grr, he's a hardened, bloodthirsty ad lawless criminal!" Yang stated loudly, slapping the the table angrily.

"For a lawless criminal' he sure doesn't look like one." The dress wearing Gwen noted, jumping when the teen in question spoke from behind her.

"That is what separates me from the rest, a savvy look." Umber said as he peered at the table from the doorway, slowly making his way towards the stove. "I did not intend to intrude, I simply did not wish to burn my home down." He stated as he turned the appliance off and wandered back down the hall, abruptly leaving just as soon as he had appeared.

The other teens slowly thought over what the dapper teen had said, beginning to understand Yang's unease. She stood with a smug grin and walked after the masked teen, leaving Neptune to silently try and speak without a ounce of an idea of what to say. Along the way, she slipped her gauntlets on and rolled her jacket arms down. Her journey ended as she found Umber in the room she had slept in, with him gently lifting the blanket-wrapped girl from the bed.

"You're here, I can assume you want to come with me?" He spoke in a soft voice, barely audible voice.

"I still don't trust you, not one bit." The blonde matched his whisper, not a conscious decision on her part. Umber chuckled quietly, looking over to her.

"Smart, good head on your shoulders. Trust _that_ instinct, it'll lead you further than most." The dapper teen advised before tilted his head. "Yet you've only beaten round the bush, you haven't answered to my question." Yang fell silent, playing the endings of this next adventure through her head. Problem was, they all end badly. She still had to go, stopping him from disappearing took priority. While her drug was adventure, it was slowly seeming less for fun… until she met the teen. That high she had first gotten all those years ago had come back with a newfound hit, but only with Umber.

It was either something new, dangerous or even something unexpected, never a dull moment with the boy. To make things worst, she had a feeling that the son of a gun knew it too. For better or worse, she finally spoke.

"I have conditions." She stated firmly.

"As do I." Umber replied, leading the way towards the garage art of his bunker. He slowly opened the door of the familiar black van, placing the brunette in the front passenger seat and clicking her seatbelt. Yang, in the meanwhile, opened the twin doors at the back of the vehicle. Her eyes widened.

"What is all this?" She asked as her gaze rolled over the crates and containers, stacked on top of each other to the roof.

"I'll explain that on the way, get in." The dapper teen said from behind her as he walked around to the side of the van and opened the door for her, just like a gentleman would. Yang huffed at him as she climbed in, finding the centre console folded up to allow another seat between the front seats, one of which was taken by the still sleeping child. By the time she climbed over into the front, the boy was already pressing a button to raise the sliding door.

The dapper teen watched the door silently open, leaning over the wheel. He turned to Yang after another moment.

"Despite what you continue to believe, I am not a 'lawless criminal'." Umber began with a firm tone, turning to stare at the blonde directly. "I hold the Cabal rules closely, alongside three defining characteristics. If I was such a 'lawless criminal', I would be rotting in a cell." He waited for the inevitable interruption from the girl, only to hear silence: he continued. "To start, I keep my word, no matter what. I have little faith in those who fail to see their words through. I seldom lack honesty, is the second rule I bear. I refrain from lying. Bending the truth, or simply not answering, hence the seldom quality. Keeps those who do trust me to continue doing so."

"Lastly, and the rule I keep above all. Proper treatment of those below you-" The blonde let out a snort, falling silent at the visor's stare. "-this is in regards to violence against the unworthy, those who do not pose a threat, even if small. I do give mercy, Ms. Xiao Long. Remember that." The dapper teen finished, having leaned back in his seat while keeping eye contact.

Yang let out a slight snort of impatience, rolling her eyes. "Is that all of your rules?" The blonde asked sarcastically.

"Yes, in a nutshell. What you can expect me, not the same of what I expect of you." Umber stated and watched the blonde's face change to a simple raised eyebrow. "In short, respect my time, match my effort and expect 'bad things'. Follow my orders without hesitation, no matter how morally wrong it is and stay consistent. Always stay consistent." He waited for the telltale anger to grow, only to find a calm Yang. His head moved ever so slightly, as if to portray some confusion.

"Any queries before listing your own demands?" The dapper teen asked calmly, letting the blonde take a moment to lock in her questions. She finally looked back with a very childish look, as if she was three and was asked to clean her room.

"Three." She drawled out, distrust clear as day in her voice. "First, what on Remnant is the Cabal and their rules?" It took it a moment for the teen to give the best answer he could.

"The Cabal - strong within the underground - an organization that funnels my line of work. Directly opposite that of the law. The rules, however, would take a great many hours to explain. If you had a few spare hours, I could recite them for you. The premise, their purpose, is to prevent distrust and betrayal from contractors like myself; kept a certain standard that clients could trust in."

It was only by the end of his explanation that he figured out the reason for Yang's mature state, he was talking to her; not down at her. The blonde quickly started on her next query. "Can you really expect me to blindly follow you? Again?" She added after a pause and head tilt from the boy. "Just literal minutes ago, you were telling me not to trust you!"

"I don't." Came his swift answer. "I expect you to continue to give me the benefit of the doubt." He added seriously, letting the blonde conclude she could try and keep doing what she was doing.

"Lastly, how do I stay consistent?" She asked with a confused frown, expecting a long and cryptic answer.

"Don't change." The dapper teen stated bluntly, caused Yang to blink owlishly.

"How does that help you, in any way? I mean, have you seen me?" She sounded exasperated as she asked her fourth question.

"In a multitude of ways, ways I hope you never come to understand." Was the explanation, her eyes caught sight of what seemed like a smile beneath that black glassy mask; though it was more likely her imagination.

"You are far too cryptic, you know that?"

"I try." Umber replied with a hum, turning the key in the ignition. If it was a normal day with normal people, the engine starting would end simply. Yang immediately realised that normal wasn't guaranteed nowadays. A thin blade pierced the driver's headrest, halting just above his hunched form. She started to move into a fight until Umber waved her off, twisting around the seat to peer behind him. "Good morning, Ms. Neopolitan." He greeted, causing the blonde to look over too.

A small, ice-cream coloured girl was glancing around in a wild frenzy, wide eyes with a tired haze to them. It didn't take long to understand the sudden appearance of Neo's blade, only the question of how she missed the strangely coloured woman when she climbed in remained. It seems like Neo was also piecing things together as she rubbed her eyes with one hand and flipped the pair off with the other.

She yanked her parasol from Umber's seat and stumbled over to the door, pulling it open and slamming it shut with a few more bird flips. There was a pause before the dapper teen spoke.

"Perfect example of text book trust issues." He stated casually, getting a confused look from Yang.

"What? Sleeping with her weapon? I thought that was all the hip with the criminally insane?" Yang chuckled sarcastically, catching the sidewards look from the boy.

"That is called common sense, quite normal with most people. I refer to the sleeping in a getaway vehicle." He corrected with a nod, reminding Yang to never drop her guard around this madman. Unfortunately, before her musing could continue, Umber piped up.

"When you come to a decision, either staying or getting moving, inform me immediately." He said calmly, shaking the blonde into reality. "You've been looking slightly down to the right, indicating an internal conversation. Your expression is the same as well, to the one you wear when choosing a path."

"...You are actually terrifying. As if you weren't scary enough, you can read minds." The blonde huffed as the dapper teen chuckled, pulling out onto the street.

"If I truly read minds, there would be a drastic change in career choices." Umber stated, inciting another chuckle from Yang. They travelled a short while till a red light stopped them, then he turned back to Yang. "So, your demands?" The familiar tone of calm entered his voice again, returning the situation to seriousness. It took only a moment to figure out what she was going to say, it was quite the ingenious idea in her opinion. She grinned and looked at him.

"I don't trust you, and thanks to the way we're both heading, I may never trust you." Yang started to gain Umber's attention, almost causing him to miss his turn. She grinned to herself and took her chance. "So what I think would be helpful for both of us is you sharing, you've made it more than clear you know more about me than I know about you. Main problem here is that I can't trust someone who holds all the cards, and keeps themself in a state of mystery." The blonde finished and leaned back in her seat, letting the dapper teen take in her words."

"I was having this exact conversation, perhaps only a few hours ago." Umber hummed in relation.

"Those comments don't help at all either." Yang pointed out, anger threatening to boil out of her maw. "They only give me more questions than answers." The other teen hummed in understanding.

"I see your point, where you are coming from. How do you propose to remedy this dilemma, Ms. Xiao Long?" Umber asked with another head tilt.

"How about… once or twice a day, I ask you a question. Who you are, your past or such. No matter what, you answer it completely honest with every detail. That good to solve the dilemma?" With that, the blonde teen extended her hand; almost expecting the boy to refuse the deal.

"Deal." Once again he darts around her expectations, gripping her hand and shaking firmly. To say the least, Yang was wide eyed at this action. Either way, she still shook back.

"Why would someone as antisocial as you agree just like that?" She asked as they released the handshake, still in disbelief.

"Understand, Ms. Xiao Long, at this moment you won't have the right questions. Questions that will cause damage. If you somehow survive, a miracle itself, and manage to ask said questions." The van pulled to a stop outside a rundown underground entrance, not unlike Umber's Lodge. "Well then at that stage I'll trust you more than most. Wait here." The dapper teen killed the engine and climbed out of the van and walked over to the shady building.

The men standing outside approached the boy, walking quickly with scowls and clenched fists. That changed when Umber pulled something from his pocket, giving the guards expressions of surprise. Yang's expression went cold as she watched the dapper teen disappear into the building, her body may not have burst into flames from anger but her hair did start glowing red.

She forced herself to breathe and calm down, for the little girl's sake and before she permanently burn anything. Somehow, while the blonde had gotten the deal she wanted, she had still lost to that masked teen. Again.

The driver's door was suddenly thrown open and a duffle bag flew into her arms, Umber clambered in soon after. She zipped open the first pocket and found around two dozen passports staring back up at her, her only concern was the ring emblazoned upon their fronts. Yang's pondering upon the emblem was pushed aside when her fingers brushed against a metal surface, finding it to be a box the size of a scroll with a green LED, a small lever and an antenna twice the size of the box.

"Hey, what's this?" Yang asked as Umber started the vehicle and pulled out onto the road, waving the box about. "And explain the passports, please?" She hissed as she pulled up one to reinforce her question.

"That device is an electronic frequency jammer." The dapper teen answered as he calmly drove past a marching squad of soldiers, their brass armour clanking as they walked. The blonde silently seethed as she wanted for the second answer, finally her patience ran out.

"Are you going to explain the passports?!" She snapped with a snarl, watching the boy let out a sigh.

"I am… searching for the proper words to use, for both our sakes." He muttered, failing silent for another five minutes of driving. He spoke again in a quiet voice. "Do you truly wish to know?"

"I just need to know if you will backstab us in the near future." Yang answered firmly, turning back to the road. There was another hum from the masked teen.

"That simplifies the matter tenfold." Umber stated, a hint of relief hiding within is voice, "You see, there are three skills which hold a special place in any circumstance. They being medical, killing and…" He coughed into his hand. "...fucking, if I am to be overt. This passing of power makes somebody with my tuned set of skills invaluable, current issue is that I am of very little use. At the moment at least. My client saw this and gave those as an initial payment, for services yet decided and rendered." The dapper teen turned to the blonde. "Did any part make it through to you, Ms. Xiao Long."

Yang blinked blankly. "You are either going into prostitution or are getting paid for a job you don't have yet." She tried as an educated guess, causing a smile to crawl onto her face as the boy cradled his head in one hand.

"Sure, let's decide that's the best guess." He calmly sneered, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"What? The being a hooker part or-" Yang laughed as Umber stared at her with a head tilt, more aggressive than usual.

"Sarcasm, natural response my brain takes to deal with the… less intelligent." He stated. "I feel it will be used more substantially in the foreseeable future." Any normal person would've taken offence to this, though the blonde was lost in laughter. No attempt made to hide the amusement she was getting from frustrating the logically thinking teen.

"Ok ok, t-then what th-this doohickey for?" She asked in between her laughter with gasps.

"Stops the tracking devices, the ones in those passports. Each and every single one holds them." Umber answered as he turned another corner. "People don't seem to trust anyone these days, no need to explain why." The teen added with a hum. Yang was paying little attention to the second part as she fiddled with another zipper, finding things that ranged from ID documents to gas masks to old fashion walkie talkies. Another pocket held more Lien she could count and a pistol. Her discovery was cut short when the van pulled to a stop, she glanced up to find they were in front of a very fancy automobile repair shop.

Her attention was dragged back to the dapper teen when he spoke. "Before we proceed any further, some benefits would came with knowing the finer details. This is where we drop off the little one to her next of kin, her uncle Anton. He, along with his brother in law Joseph, operate an extremely valuable exporting business; the illegal variety of course." Umber paused as he cut the engine, turning back to the blonde. "Joseph was undisputedly and undoubtedly the head, leaving Anton as the hands that grease the clogs. Present state of Vale makes it very unlikely that news of his brother-in-law's 'disappearance, not to mention of his sister's murder, would've reached him."

"As much as I regret this, it is crucial that we keep it that way. At least until we have the information necessary to leave Vale. Anton was known for his emotional outbursts." Umber stated as he pulled the duffle bag off Yang and pulled all bar two passports out and put them into another bag, reaching into his jacket to reveal another passport that he looked over before dropping it into the duffle bag. "Best advice to keep in mind, stay close, calm and quiet. These situations tend to be tense."

He and the blonde hopped out of the vehicle and walked around to the other side where Umber unbuckled the tiny girl and gently gathered her up in his arms, hearing the snap of a camera he turned to find a smirking girl holding her scroll.

She followed the pair across the carpark and around the back of the shop, finding a massive, thick cast iron door. Without pause, the dapper teen swiftly kicked the door, sending the sounds of a buzzing noise into the air. The door opened slightly, allowing the teen to hook his cane under it and haul it open for Yang. She cautiously ducked under the cane and felt her nostrils cry in pain, thanks to the stale smell of cigarette smoke and strong oil fumes.

The blonde had barely stepped into the building before a loud click sounded behind her, Umber was pulling his cane from the door when she spun around to investigate. The dapper teen strolled over to the large man in slacks behind a small monitor-ridded desk, following behind the teen she heard the pair conversing briefly in a harsh language she didn't understand. Umber turned slightly and nodded down a hall, leading the way into the chopshop proper; at least it seemed like one to Yang.

The entire space was full of life, men moving crates in the back, some playing cards while in the centre of the room was a ring of tables with an equally large man in the middle shouting loudly at the others. As the pair walked closer, Yang saw the tables covered by papers, drugs, guns and a few computers. It was then the burly man spotted them, shouting a foreign but cheerful greeting with a huge grin, spreading his arms out.

Umber crossed the room with easy strides, leaving Yang to dodge and weave workers still moving about. The masked teen placed the brunette on a nearby couch, somehow clean in the mess of a garage. Mr. Mammoth of a man stomped over and shared a lengthy conversation, exchanging more body contact than Umber was clearly happy with, in the same harsh and almost guttural tongue. Finally, Umber returned to familiar territory as he spoke in English.

"Is it possible to continue this conversation in a tongue all parties are privy to?" He questioned as the huge man stuck out his bottom lip in thought.

"I do not see why not." The thick accent rolled in a deep and gruff voice, his lightish blue eyes turned to the blonde. "Although, I do not believe we have met, girl?" He extended one of his huge hands, palms dirty and scarred. While Yang didn't know proper protocol for meeting the leader of an illegal operation, she still took the hand and shook. "Anton Voda." He rumbled.

"Yang Xiao Long." She replied with a strong, firm hand. The Slavic's eyes widened before a broad smile spread across his face, giving back a hearty shake.

"I like you, girl." He admitted. "Big balls, don't see much nowadays."

"You both can buddy up later, I was hoping to access our special kontrabandistov." Umber stated as he patted the large man on the shoulder, having to reach up a bit to reach the mammoth's shoulder. The other man shrugged.

"Do not see why not. Death is quite easier other ways." He said with a huff, halting the dapper teen as he examined a holo map on a nearby desk.

"Explain. What do you mean?" The masked teen asked slowly and with a confused tone.

"New government, very good eye. Business take big fall, moving 'cross border very hard. Easy one way trip to afterlife, but such little problem. It won't stop you." Anton explained in particularly broken English, getting a finger gun in response from the boy. "Why is Mysh here, Umber?" The giant asked as he eyed the sleeping girl.

"Business first, Anton." The dapper teen answered, causing the man to grunt.

"You are one to decide that, what not business?" He chuckled, glanced sideways at the blonde girl. "Who are you, your job?" Yang froze up, almost saying huntress before Umber cut in.

"New Blood."

"She speak for herself, no?" Anton grunted as Umber waved over another man and started talking in Slavic, leaving the man to turn back with a raised eyebrow. "So?"

"Just someone who Umber owes a favor." She answered curtly, rubbing her arm nervously. Anton smirk.

"Just say to respect privacy, very simple." He rumbled in response, watching the clearly uncomfortable Yang. While she had gone clubbing in some shady places, this was an entirely new level for her; it was starting to get uneasy with the current line of questioning. "How long have known Umber?" Came the next question.

"Not very well, just met him a couple days ago." Her answer was shaky, the unease clear to the mammoth.

"I have story just for you, molodaya ledi. I first meet Umber three years past, me and Joseph were new to block. Organization was tiny, starting to grow when man in suit and mask approach us. We both spoke not a lick of English, so our surprise was big when he speak in our tongue. I was concerned with jobs to foreigners but Joseph told me 'it good thing' and it was."

"Security job first, hired to look after weapon truck. We forget him. Two months later we lost every truck, all at same time. Everyone dead, trucks gone and men cut down in streets. Out of sky, he call and tell us he tracked trucks and reclaimed them. He tell us main competitor hired rogue hunters to attack us, he track truck to main home for both."

"Twenty two dead, five hunter men, ten ex-Atlas and seven veteran gangsters. All our money, drugs and guns there too, from all trucks. He come and apologise for using product for handy work." Anton leaned down to the girl, looking dead in the eyes. "Moral of story, do never underestimate Umber. My question is how pretty girl like you hang with scary monster like him?" Suddenly, a shout came from the teen in question from different table, duffle bag sitting in front of him.

Anton wandered over and caught the bag as the masked teen pushed it, opening it and opening his eyes wide. His eyes narrowed as he studied the passport from all angles, vigorous in his actions. Finally, after holding it to the light, he swore.

"Sladkiy lisus!" He cried in astonishment. "This proper? These real?" He asked awestruck, staring at Umber in shock.

"And valid as well." Umber answered calmly, putting up a hand to stop the grateful man. "Though only as long as keep up my end of an arrangement, keep that in mind, Anton." The dapper teen warned, watching the ecstatic giant glance at the next passport until he found the last one; the very one Umber had pulled from the jacket. His joy faded quickly when he opened its pages.

"W-what is this..?" He muttered and held it up at the masked boy, who pointed to an indoor window which hid an office. Without another word, both men entered the office, an expression of anxiousness on Anton's face.

The tension was thick in the air, thick enough to cut through with a knife. Yang knew it wasn't only her feeling that, the other workers were all frozen and staring at their boss' office. The window reveal the mammoth sitting behind a huge desk, head resting on his interlocked fingers while Umber stood, hands behind his back with his cane held horizontal. Both men remained silent, marking the glass and room soundproof, though it was clear that Anton was listening intently to the boy.

It was only when his hands moved through his hair did the hint of distress come, his hands smashed onto the desk and flew to his feet. The giant's mouth was clearly shouting as his face turned scarlet red with rage. Anton's arm swept across his desk and the computer hit the glass with a thud. Two of his men rushed to the door, grabbing rifles on the way and opened the door.

The gates were opened and the thunder reigned supreme, his shouting echoing through the building. The two guards misread the situation, aiming at the unflinching dapper teen which put a target on their heads for Anton to roar at them. His screaming sent the pair out the door, silencing the anger again.

Yang leapt in surprise as a warm blob latched onto her leg, she found the tiny girl there; blanket trailing behind her. Those wide eyes staring at her, damn they reminded her too much of Ruby when she used to watch those stupid Sunday cartoons for a good half of the day, those eyes darted to something behind Yang and clung behind the girl for defense. The blonde turned and found the office door open, with a red faced Anton in the doorway. His hands clenched then released before he slowly made his way over.

The brunette was hanging on for dear life when the mammoth of a man came close, it was then that Yang decided that she wouldn't back down; sisterly instincts demanding she give no ground to that man. The man who was clearly in no condition to be near a fragile child of that age.

Anton stopped short of the blonde, dropping to one knee then the other and opening his arms. His voice came soft, quietly encouraging the tiny child in the foreign language. Yang didn't buy his act while the child was just too terrified to move, this was the last straw for the man.

His face hit the floor as his arms slumped beside his head, sobs came from the giant in gasping breaths. Slowly, Yang felt the blob at her leg release her leg and step closer to her uncle. Mysh's tiny feet gently guiding her across the floor as she stood in front of the broken lumb of muscle, holding two handfuls of her blankets up to her chin.

Little to no one could've anticipated what happened next. The tiny brunette placed the blanket around his massive shoulders carefully, quietly comforting her uncle in their mother tongue. Grief moved from the mammoth to the girl, tears soon fell from her face. Yang saw Umber walking towards her from the office, giving a nod and a jerk of the head towards the exit. They left the building in silence, only when they reached the van did the blonde find her words.

"So, ah… I can say I wasn't expecting that from a mob boss." She stated with a nod, the dapper teen just turned to her and stared at her with a blank stare.

"Speak for yourself, I learnt no less than seven explicit words from that encounter, two more than last time." With that last comment, the van pulled out onto the road.

"Wait here." The masked teen ordered as he pulled to a stop in an underground parking lot, swifty pulling back the slide of his pistol for the first time in their journey. He opened the driver's door and marched to the back of his van, opening the back doors. While the blonde was looking over the seat for the rattling sound, a clang on the hood of the vehicle sent her jumping in surprise. She found Umber had slammed a few ammo boxes down on the van, fiddling with a device and a beer can.

He continued to make the combination of devices and cans, tins and other junk until he had a half dozen of the strange contraptions. The dapper teen moved to grab a few of the tins and knocked over one of the boxes, sending it toppling onto the windscreen. Umber froze for a moment before moving off towards into the carpark, leaving Yang to stare in disbelief at the crate. Across the face were the words 'directional anti-personnel mine' in bold capital letters.

"What the…" She whispered to herself as she realised that this situation was about to get a lot more serious, watching Umber move back and forth placing the junk around the area. In the dim light the deadly objects were hidden in plain sight. Umber barely halting in his movement, immediately putting the unmarked crates from the back of the van into a semi circle around the vehicle. His masked gaze turned from side to side, taking one last scan around the area before turning and climbing back into the van to be bombarded by questions from a certain blonde.

"Well, Ms. Xiao Long, this is what you can call an arms deal." Umber started calmly, cutting through the angry teen's words. "Which you have a crucial role to play, like a Rook or Bishop."

"Well you have the wrong girl for the job, I know nothing about guns." She admitted sadly, looking down slightly. It was then that the masked teen's scroll pinged, sending him into a tiny frenzy of movement.

"No time to dwindle, take this." Umber shoved a device into her hands. "Flick that, hit this, pull here, remember that." The urgency in his voice caught Yang's attention, but before she could say a word he had placed a black cover against the windscreen and hopped out of the van.

Umber stood in the middle of the makeshift box fort and took a glance at the vehicle, nodding to himself as he watched the tint spread over the other windows, completely blocking sight into the van. He pulled on the bottom of his jacket to rid the wrinkles, listening carefully as a faint rumbling frew louder.

From the ramp into the carpark came a garbage truck, painted yellow with a few figures hanging off the sides, and a pair of jeeps following behind with more shapes. The convoy pulled around and pulled to a stop in front of the dapper teen, allowing the men to drop onto the ground with many thuds. Yang's eyes widened in both surprise and fear as she watched the dozen or so men line up before Umber, their gear sending terror down her spine.

The leader of the squad stomped forwards, his brass armour covered with soot and grime, tanks on his back and hips with a full face helmet that was charred black. In his hands was a flamethrower, jury rigged from a pile of trash from its appearance alone. The Abandoned soldier stopped just short of Umber, both sides sizing the other up. It was the dapper teen who spoke first.

"I understand that a storage facility was destroyed, set ablaze this morning?" He asked calmly, setting a few of the soldiers chuckling. The leader snorted and hefted his flamethrower onto his shoulder.

"Aye, was a bit of a shame. All those huntsmen weapons gone up in flames, tsk tsk ya know?" He sneered and shook his head. "Suppose the real question is to ya keep yer deal? Did ya get our stuff?" The masked teen flipped a knife out from his belt, lodged it under the lid of one of the boxes and flicked it off.

"You can find my inventory is well accounted for." Umber said calmly and stood up, letting the soldier look into the box. The leader of the squad let out a whistle and waved his men forward to crowd like children on Christmas around the box, then he raised a hand.

"How do we know they work, eh?"

Umber grabbed one of the weapons on display, a handful of ammo too. He quickly loaded a few shells into the lever action and extended it towards the leader stock first. "Use the product, find out yourself." The masked teen said confidence, only to have the soldier scoff.

"Oi, kid, up and centre." He barked, dragging a particularly clean soldier in front of Umber. "Ya had doubts 'bout burning that hole, you have a shot, yeah?" The squad chuckled as the soldier shoved his hand away, taking the weapon and aiming at a nearby pillar; taking a moment to level his sights. The gunshot wasn't all that impressive, but the blast of concentrated magnesium pellets lighting up the entire carport was indeed jaw dropping. The support pillar burned bright as the pellets melted and dripped onto the concrete floor.

The Lieutenant let out a hoot of maniac laughing, patting the soldier on the back. "Ooh ho ho, I very much like that." He admitted and turned from the flaming support to Umber.

"The merchandise is in peak condition, should function without fail for awhile." The teen stated as he wandered around various boxes, popping them open for the soldiers to look inside. "For logical reasons, I cannot demonstrate the use of the white phosphorous grenades. Enclosed area, no need for an early grave." Umber waved a hand around the area. "These crates hold twelve hundred 'dragon breath' gauge rounds, two dozen white phosphorus and one dozen 'Heavy Gauge' lever action shotguns."

"Mate, this is-" One of the flamer-wielding soldiers started, only to be interrupted by the boy.

"As a gift of good will, you will find an added bonus." Umber stated cryptically as he pulled out a cloth bundle, the Lieutenant stepped closer to take the package. He snarled at the teen when he moved back slightly. "Put these in pressurized tanks, seal them tight." With that vague warning, the masked teen handed the cloth over, watching the soldier pull out one of many crimson pearls to examine. "Expect these as payment for any… future services."

"Sure thing, pal." Was his response, though only the leader was interested in the strange gift; the others were content on arguing over the weapons. He heard a particularly loud scuffle and let out a grunt, pocketing the pearls and lifting his helmet off his head. With a quick twist and a pair of fingers in his mouth, a piercing whistle pierced the air. "Fucknuts, get this man his pay!" The leader barked at his men, sending the group towards the jeeps to haul their own large boxes towards the pair

They planted them down as the dapper teen approached the crates, cautiously waiting as one of the soldiers opened their contents to Umber. He reached into one of the boxes and hauled a heavy, gold trimmed purse into clear view of everyone. Umber felt his pocket buzz and dropped the purse, hearing a loud clang as it hit the floor. Flicking his scroll on, he found a message from Yang. 'That's Coco's purse!' Umber glanced at the bag and moved it back into the box.

Both parties moved their new containers to their vehicles and found themselves face to face once more, faces less aggressive than before and stances open.

"Pleasure doing business with you." The dapper teen extended his hand and waited patiently. Finally, the leader of the squad lunged forwards and gripped Umber's forearm firmly, leaning close to his masked face.

"No prob, buddy." He chuckled and released the boy, waving his men into the trucks and giving Umber one last nod before leaping onto the garbage truck. Umber waited for the men to drive off before walking across the carpark and picking up the many tins and cans scattered about, after his collection he slowly wandered back to his van with low expectations.

"What the fuck was that?!" Was what greeted him when he opened the door and climbed in, throwing the cans over his seat. Yang's eyes were ablaze with anger, crimson red. "Giving explosives and ammo, fucking weapons to the people trying to murder every huntsman on Remnant!" She screamed at the boy with clenched fists, Umber leaned back in his seat as he took the angry rant in stride. "Maybe, just maybe, I could've come to grips with this plan if I had even the fucking foggest of ideas about what you were doing here! But, noooo!" Yang threw her arms into the air with a yell.

"You and your damned mysterious criminal act! First five minutes of this, I was mashing this piece of shit and thanks to your teaching I did jack all!" The blonde threw the detonator at the boy with another scream, continuing her rant for another ten minutes before she ran out of breath.

"I had every intention to explain the situation to you before the deal, time wasn't on our side. Those weapons were repurposed from the Great War, doing little good than bad. In all honesty, I expected that shotgun to ignite in his hands. Those grenades have an effective range of thirty five metres, no matter what those explosives will go off at twenty metres." Umber explained calmly as the blonde got her breath back. "This isn't mentioning the necessity of weapons for both you and your colleagues, or would you prefer sticks and stones?" The dapper teen asked in a levelled, calm voice. "Now you will distribute those weapons among yourself after I drop you off, I must infiltrate Beacon in the meantime." The van started up and rolled out of the carport.

"Wait what? Why?" Yang asked, only to find silence as her answer. Once again in the dark.

Less than an hour after dropping off the blonde, Umber found himself inside the Headmaster's office within Beacon; far too soon in his opinion. He slinked through the hopefully empty office with one sole objective in mind, to cut down the distrust between himself and his employer. While the giant of a client wasn't in the room, there was enough here to give the teen a good enough understanding towards who this Raiko was and what his true intentions are.

Files, computers and personal effects came into the question of his thought process, not even mentioning the small library across the walls. The backpack of equipment was carefully discarded onto the floor, his cane soon hung from a desk lamp as he thought of bugging the room. His judgement told him otherwise, while he had the means to, the risk of discovery outweighed any possible leverage. The teen swept his gaze across the large desk, finding most of its surface covered with paper files. At least he wasn't the only one with common sense towards retro files.

He picked up the first file and discovered it was on himself, with a newfound curiosity he opened it. It barely took a minute for him to skim over the little content they had on him, with the knowledge that they knew very little of his current activities coming as a relief. Though he hesitated over a DNA test, luckily it was 'inconclusive' thanks to his semblance. Useful for both creating and hiding per usual, a silver lining. Umber replaced the file where he found it before taking another on a faunus named Felix, who seemed only interested in rule breaking and hating an unidentified huntsman in a suit.

What slightly annoyed the dapper teen was the lack of troop movements and other details any other commander would have within their office or quarters, only reports and lists of names greeted his eye. Either way, he took photos of the contents, planning to take a perceptive look later.

His attention was soon brought upon the file of the other contractor, though mercenary seemed better to call her in this case. One Raven with a redacted last name stared up at him, trained as a huntress with similar education but has hints of banditry from her past. Previous member of Team STRQ of Beacon, alongside two redacted names and one clean name. Summer Rose. It took little to link her and Ruby Rose. Seems like all she was being paid to do is taxi supplies and soldiers from their client's home.

Raiko had also narrowed down her base of operations and bandit clan around a large area around the Mistral and Vale border, Umber made a note to avoid that area in the near future. More pictures later, the masked teen moved towards an old record player with a collection of classical music and orchestra. There was a strong smell of alcohol nearby, though that was ignored for the fact there wasn't a single framed picture of Raiko. Dedicated to his work in seems.

Umber's forming of a better understanding was cut short by an alarm going off from his scroll, the motion sensor set in the elevator shaft had been triggered. He moved back towards the desk, passing his bag and pulling the gift his client had given him, Stories of Aes, and leaned against the desk and started to skim over the pages.

The doors of the elevator opened a few seconds later, revealing two figures in brass armour. A certain pair of twins.

"I'm telling you, Alex, a Nevermore would lose one-on-one with a Lancer. Always, no question." Sam stated as he slapped his hand onto his other one, his brother grunted.

"I don't remember asking-" Alex fell silent and his arm shot out to halt the other twin, eyes locked onto the dapper teen. Sam let a look of disgust fall across his features while Alex narrowed his eyes. "How and why are you here? The Link hasn't called for you."

"I'm a contractor for your Link, thus-" Umber pulled a slip of paper from his book and placed it onto the desk. "-contract." The twins shared a look before the dapper teen continued. "Also to forgive you for you indiscretion, to explain why I was in that prison camp."

"What indiscretion?" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow, suspicion still strong.

"Don't get me wrong, your brand of criminal do not desire your trust. I, however, am a man who abides by a code." Sam snorted in amusement, crossing his arms.

"Sure, a man in a mask has a code of honour. Right honest, eh?" The twin chuckled as he looked at his brother, Umber stared at him in silence.

"As. I. Was. Saying… those trackers, the ones you concealed inside my payment. Unnecessary, won't be tolerated in future exchanges." Though his voice was calm, it did hold an admiration for the twins' apparent craftiness. "As for that unfortunate misunderstanding at the prison. You had one particular Atlesian Agent in captivity who had very specific information, information that if shown under a certain light would be questionable at best. Currently, my existence would be best kept off your radar. Beneficial for both parties."

His many years of developing his code gave Umber an extreme skill with walking between the lines of lies and truth, this confrontation was no different to his many others. While keeping the Agent's information a secret was barely a challenge, painting it as if it was his sole reason for his actions wasn't exactly a lie. Hopefully this would be a step to ease the pair's well founded suspicions of his allegiance with the hunters.

Umber clicked his heels together before turning towards the elevator, leaving Sam to unroll the paper roll and read through it. His eyes drifted over the two crests at the top of the age, one similar to a phoenix and the other a large calligraphy C within a laurel wreath. The dapper teen tapped the call button just as Alex called out. "You still haven't answered my question." He stated with a suspicious look, causing the masked teen to turn back. "How I got here? Academy was erected after the Great War began, tensions were high. This place was built not only as a fortress, but as a labyrinth of passages, the original floor plans show the extent of them. Didn't need to search through the archives, found a hole made from a stray shell from the Breach."

Soon after his answer, the twin doors of the elevator opened. Umber walked in and selected his floor with his cane, placing his foot in the door to hold the elevator. "One aspect of the contract involves mention of the contract holder's orders, do not let Raiko send his orders through you or any other. I will only accept orders from him, otherwise expect deaf ears. I suggest a dedicated contract holder as a work around." With that last remark, he removed his shoe and the doors closed.

-

Umber pulled shut the fortified door of the Lodge before standing still for a moment, his gaze trailing around to search for one certain blonde. The ambush never came, though his eyes did land on his up and about guests. The teen sighed as he realised this would be his last moment of peace before his newest plan of action would change his life, so he found himself in the kitchen making a cup of coffee. It was his first for a long while, not a wink of sleep since the awakening in that White Fang bullhead. In was surprisingly clean after feeding a few dozen hunters, though not unoccupied.

The two huntsmen within were the two of the few the dapper teen didn't want to see, one Russel Thrush and Dove Bronzewing. Their pro-human attitude may have disgusted the teen, but he still extended a common courtesy.

"Morning." He greeted as he stopped next to the coffee maker, pouring himself a batch that was near solid. Strong enough to wake the dead. The other boys exchanged a panicked look before clambering over each other to get out of the room, their hasty retreat was followed by Umber with his sludge in hand.

Unfortunately, it was sent flying back through the door as a beret wearing girl stood in his path. "You are a truly special type of stupid, you know that?" She snapped sarcastically. "You got off last time because I was hungry and tired, not this time." The dapper teen still decided to try and put in his own part, though was cut off by the raging Coco.

"That little stunt you pulled not only traumatized those guys, but Velvet too! Not to mention after what she went through finding out her boyfriend was fucking insane, you decide to give her a bloody gun!" She even pulled said gun from behind her back, aiming at the drowsy Umber; who calmly disarmed her with ease. He took the chance to explain his side of the argument.

"Her 'insane boyfriend' is the reason, giving your delicate friend a firearm was necessary." The girl huffed and tried to form another argument, failing that she spat to the side and stormed out of the room. The dapper teen returned to the holy pot of coffee to put life in his eyes, which was about as short lived as the first. Heavy footsteps and long strides alerted him of Yang, though the punch to the mask was unexpected; throwing him into the counter and sending his coffee to the floor.

While Umber's ribs were healed from his past encounters, his Aura wasn't strong enough to defend against the blonde's strike. Yang wore an expression of pure rage.

"Violence seems to be the only thing you understand and one way I can express my anger." She snapped as she turned on her heel and left just as soon as she walked in.

"Over a dozen languages, you choose the physical one? If the thought of mature conversation seems pleasant, I would be happy to talk." The masked teen shouted out after the girl, rubbing his mask with a sigh. There was a pause of uncertainty as he waited for Yang to storm back with another punch ready after that outburst, luckily that never came and the boy stood up and smoothed out his suit's creases.

The broken cup and coffee was soon cleaned up and a third cup of the brew was in Umber's hand, shielded with his other as he took a look both ways before walking down the hallway towards the main warehouse. As he took the caged elevator he found the space alive with activity, unsurprising to the dapper teen. He knew huntsmen and huntresses had a spirit that was near unbreakable, not to mention they were teenagers with an actual goal in mind. He walked out of the lift and spotted a rabbit faunus with a clipboard near a table of recently acquired weapons and ammo, counting each of them apparently.

He quickly found a pattern to her movements around and through the table and boxes around it, so he dodged around the other teens and marched towards her back. Just as he stopped short of Velvet's back, she stepped back and turned around with her head in the clipboard. Her collision course sent her stumbling back, her list slipping from her hands. Umber's hand darted around her arm, holding her upright.

""My apologies." The dapper teen said calmly as Velvet regained her balance, placing the pistol Coco had thrusted in his face into her belt out of sight.

"S-sorry, I'm a b-bit of a klutz." She apologised in her usual polite tone, eyes darting to the hand holding her..

"You are anything but. Excuse me." Umber said as his gaze locked onto Sage who was mobile even though he had a splint for his fractured leg, he turned back to the girl for a moment. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." With that he started towards the boy, only to be intercepted by a certain blonde. Velvet blinked owlishly and quietly thanked the masked teen, though she'd no doubt never take up the offer. That masked teen terrified her, even if he didn't have the foot of height on her. She crouched down to pick up her clipboard only to feel something poking her hip, her hand soon found a familiar cold metal.

Velvet took one glance around to see if anybody was looking before she locked eyes with that familiar mask, giving her a single nod confirming her suspicions. Her eyes snapped back to her list, slowly moving back to Umber and Yang. Both were walking up the stairs towards the offices nearby. At least she could get back to work, and feel a little more at ease with the firearm.

The blonde lead the way up the stairs into the offices, followed closely by Umber who quickly looked up at the ceiling before sighing deeply.

"Ms. Xiao Long, do you understand why you can't do that?" He asked with clear disapproval as he directed his hand past Yang.

"I don't see the problem." She retorted quickly, crossing her arms with a frown.

"This is immoral for a start, coming from a person who sees immoral acts as a professional life choice." The boy stated as he gave Yang another tilt of the head.

"Do you even have an idea how annoying It is?" She said in an exhausted tone, watching Umber walk past her.

"If I made decisions of that logic, almost a dozen of your friends would be in a similar position. And 'It' is called Neo, who is trying to bite her way through the blankets." He hummed, leaning on his cane. Both watched the small woman struggle as she chewed at the bonds around her body, strung to a stretcher with ripped rags and knots. Her strength powered by pure hatred as she gnawed away. After a minute, Umber approached the girl. "If I cut you out, while you delay your retaliation until we are out of Vale?"

Neo stared viciously at Yang, giving a slow nod in response. The dapper teen sliced through the rags without another second wasted, immediately allowing the woman to shoot up and start signing away with such aggression that Umber was afraid she wouldn't honour her deal. Not once did she break eye contact with the blonde girl, until her hands dropped and she looked at the boy with raised eyebrows.

The witty teen just shook his head, lost for words. "No self respecting man would even think of stringing those words together, translation or not." He said calmly, stirring the ice-cream woman who finally raised the universal sign of her middle finger. No translation needed. She walked past the pair and stalked her way down to the warehouse, still showing her hateful finger to every hunter she passed.

While most within the Lodge were awake, one pair of eyes were only now groggily opening. They peered up at the white, sloping roof for awhile, waiting for the damned roof to stop spinning and for her level headed mindset to come back. It all came back to her with a fury, the thumping headache remained but the spinning dulled to a manageable point. Then the events before her blackout flew forwards in her mind, immediately drawing the conclusion of her continuing imprisonment by those brass psychos. After all, the lack of pearly white gates and one godly figure meant the Mask didn't get him. She knows he doesn't take prisoners, no reason to doubt those files now.

The teen went to nurse her throbbing headache with her hand, only to hiss and yank her hand away from a stitched cut on her forehead. She pulled her legs over the side of the bed, bare feet slapped onto the tiled floor. Then the girl found her left wrist hugged by a freezing cold, chained, skin tight handcuff, with only a tiny keyhole stopping her from tearing the cuff off. Testing its strength left one side of her wrist bleeding, though it did little to deter her from continuing to yank away with audible strain.

"Don't bother, you're just hurting yourself." Came a disembodied voice from the background, sending the Agent into a combat stance on top of the bed. Her wild looking about found a dark skinned girl with mint hair, simply sitting against a glass window that separated the two. The girl turned her head to stare at Ashley with one eye. "Morning beautiful, or evening. Fuck if I know." The girl snapped, throwing her hand around. The agent looked around the room she was trapped in, finding a glass wall that spread across both cells.

The wall had two barely noticeable doors, marked only with hinges and two small slits for trays. The agent hopped from her cot and walked over to the wall, peering through the glass to look for an entrance. Which turned out to be a submarine-esc door, with a desk in front of the bulwark entrance.

Her training set in as she examined the cell from all angles and tried to search for any structural weakness, experiences running through her head before a voice piped up.

"It won't work, I've checked everything. The cells are water tight, trust me." The mint haired girl remarked, getting a scoff from Ashley.

"No offense, but you're not me." She replied with a bitter tone, whether intentional or not.

"Sure, don't let me stop you and your useless attempts at escaping." Her neighbor spat with a sneer, still watching the other girl with a red eye. Ashley lay down upon the floor and ran her finger across the glass and floor, finally giving up and moving back to the bed. "I live for the moments I get to say 'I told you so', guess that makes me a bad person. Still, it is fun to piss somebody off." Emerald laughed to herself, causing a frown to appear over the agent's brow.

"I don't see you taking measures to secure your freedom! At least I'm trying." Ashley shouted back.

"You know there's a reason I'm down here and not on my bed." The red eyed teen stated. "It's the only dry spot in my cell, when I told that these cells are watertight it was from personal experience. Point is that whatever Mr. Slick Shit used on you put you out longer than me, and while you've been napping for five hours I've been trying every trick in the fucking book." The teen stood and spun around to stare directly at Ashley. "Guess what? Nothing. Nada, squat!" She snarled at the agent, who narrowed her eyes at only one word of her rant.

"What do you mean, 'Slick?'" Ashley asked carefully, eyes locked with Emerald's.

"The asshole in the suit, the guy with the cane who took great pleasure in dragging your unconscious ass out of that prison." The other girl had stopped listening after 'suit', running her hands through her head and began pacing across the room. After a few seconds, both prisoners stood face to face.

"Do you have any idea, how key it is… THAT WE GET OUT!" Ashley shouted at the glass, pointing a finger against the glass. "Do you know who- no, _what_ he is?" She hissed at the green haired teen, who slowly backed away from the glass and the crazy teen on the other side.

"No… I don't know that slick." She answered cautiously, eyes narrowed. "Am I meant to? Who is he?" The agent caught herself and stood upright.

"Classified." Came her clockwork reply, which she soon discarded for a more quiet voice. "But I can tell you that if you want to live, we have to get out of this psychopa-" There was a loud tapping sound that cut the girl off, it grew louder and soon the source appeared.

"Well, Clarice… have the lambs stopped screaming?" Umber asked with a cold voice, stepping into the light with cane in hand. The two girls moved deeper into their cells out of fear, unfortunately Emerald slipped backwards on the still wet floor. The dapper teen watched the girl groan before turning to Ashley. "My apologies, times that allow such quotes are few and far between. The volume of it does sum up your predicament, correct? Agent prodigy, gifted in criminal profiling engaged in a game of cat and mouse with a remorseless and ingenious criminal mastermind."

The mask approached the glass wall and leaned close. "Only separated by an insufficient glass cage." He tapped the glass with his cane and leaned back, watching the Agent find her words.

"I remember that agent, and if the mastermind on the other side of the cell is only 'remorseless' and not 'disturbed' thanks to his taste for human flesh; I've been lead astray." Her defiant words caught the masked teen off guard, though he merely hummed in response.

"Never did conclude my analogy was airtight." Umber replied before the girl let out a drawn out, overly sarcastic laugh.

"Ha ha, hah. Fuck you." She snapped back.

"Of course. Oh, almost forgot to formally introduce you to each other." He pointed his cane towards the dark skinned girl. "Emerald Sustrai, Agent Ashley Carmine. Agent Ashley Carmine, Emerald Sustrai."

"What do you want from us?" The agent demanded harshly, pointing at the teen behind the glass. "We wouldn't be here if you didn't want something." Umber simply peered at her, then towards the other girl before turning back.

"I would be lying if I did say I had no use for you, I require something from everyone." He the dapper teen said cryptically before pulling out a pair of silver handcuffs. "Everyone would gain from negotiating terms away from other parties, doesn't mean I trust you with normal cuffs. These cuffs will cause you to regret any illogical choices, gives an interesting effect towards your Aura." He finished and gestured with his closed hand towards Ashley.

She knew the drill already and stepped up, slotting her hands out and allowing them to be locked around her wrists, right overtop her now chainless cuff. "Want me to back up?" She sneered, feinting confidence.

"Back on the far wall, if you please." Umber requested without hesitation, watching as the agent backed up, finding no reason to fight. Yet. Her eyes never left him as he fiddled with a holographic interface, typing in a needlessly long pin. Finally, the door popped opened and the girl slowly walked out with a defiant expression.

The masked teen stepped to the side and gestured towards the open door, silently peering at the agent. She swallowed her pride, trying to keep some element of surprise, and started walking towards the exit. "Hey! Aren't you forgetting someone?" The mint haired teen called from behind the pair, staring at them with an expectant expression.

"No need to fret, Ms. Sustrai." Umber announced as he followed his prisoner out. "You're next."

"Fucking creep." Emerald whispered as the armoured door slammed shut, leaving her to scowl and start pacing. Ashley, meanwhile, was terrified as she was marched along; not that she showed it. Any show of weakness would be a mortal mistake. The dapper teen guided her into a hallway, sounds of civilization echoing from one of the many doors. That taste of freedom wasn't something to pass up, so Ashley acted upon the opportunity.

The agent twisted around and sent her leg flying at the boy, feeling her foot land somewhere against his abdomen. Instantly, she ran down the hall… only to hit the floor with a thud. Ashley turned with wide, frightened eyes to find Umber had caught her strike, holding it with an iron grip. Helpless, she watched his cane come up and slam into her thigh. The girl felt the grip release and tried to get to her feet to escape, running only on adrenaline.

Ashley collapsed. The leg that damned criminal hit couldn't hold her weight, nevertheless she tried twice more to no avail. She gasped as the pain finally replaced the numbness, her eyes snapped up towards Umber with hatred in her eyes. He ignored her stare and snatched her arm and hauled her through another door, dropping her onto a metal chair. The agent glanced at her new surroundings to discover the familiar sight of soundproofing covering the walls, interrupted by two doors and a large mirror which no doubt hid another room.

Umber knelt down to her eye level, silently staring at her with an air of annoyance. "What reason, what excuse, do you have? Why did you force me to do this?" His voice was cold, emotion void in his words. The teen gave one last sigh before walking through the second door, right into another argument.

"What a surprise." Yang started, getting a facepalm from the dapper teen. "How on Remnant did you manage to break her in a short walk? It was literally from the cells to here! Not to mention that little 'rule book' you live by, what happened to the whole 'treatment of prisoners'? She can't fucking walk!" While the blonde ranted, the petite Neo was clapping after watching the events occur on a nearby tablet; replaying the scene again. Seemingly singing Umber's praises.

" **You have to teach me what you did."** The petite woman signed with a smirk.

"Pardon?" Umber asked and turned his full attention to Neo.

" **There's clearly a trick to it. I have punched people almost across every inch of skin, not once have my hits done anything like that. Teach me how you did that."** Neo demanded, only to notice the lack of attention from the dapper teen, having returned to listening to Yang's rant. The smaller girl rolled her multi coloured eyes and shifted a chair over to match the blonde's height. She a huff, reached up and grabbed a clump of Yang's hair before yanked her head down to the tablet. The moment she felt Neo release her hair, Yang spun and reared her fist back.

The blonde punched the wall just above the smaller woman's head, swiftly leaning down to stare into her mismatched eyes. The enraged, heated breath hit Neo's face, doing little to deter her innocent blink and grin. Both changing the colour of her eyes, and causing Yang to pull her fist back again, luckily Umber stepped in before the conflict escalated.

"I may not condone Neopolitan's actions, she was trying to show you something. The table, watch it." He ordered, waiting for the fiery blonde to yank her fist from the wall. Yang kept an eye on the tiny terror and examined the recording, noticing the girl signing something to Umber who quickly translated.

"Neo would like me to inform you that... the female dog had it coming. Took a few liberties with her delicate wording." The boy informed the pair, getting a scowl from Neo while the blonde narrowed her eyes at the tablet's content. Umber checked his scroll before waltzing towards the wall and pressing a random panel, opening it up to reveal a brightly lit room. Both women watched in confused silence as Umber's form was covered by a pair of elevator doors before the wall itself closed once more, hiding the secrets of the Lodge from view. Just as soon as the lift descended, it reopened and revealed him holding multiple folders. He walked over to the nearby desk and dropped half, scanning the rest he held.

"I am only able to accommodate one extra file, hope you don't mind sharing" The boy hummed and looked over his shoulder at the pair, watching them move towards said file. Yang bumped the petite woman with her to knock her off track, only to feel Neo kick her shin with enough force to send her tumbling just short of the table. Victorious, the tiny woman pranced over and sat on the table. She poked her tongue out at the blonde before opening the file, her smug glee fading for confusion. It was empty.

Both girls turned to the dapper teen in confusion, watching as he took two folders from his jacket. The empty file was flung at the glass next to Umber's head, doing little to affect him. Neither girl made an attempt to take the new ones, losing interest quickly while the other teen was taking a large amount of amusement out of showing the two how childish they were. After a couple of moments, the dapper teen placed the files to the side and turned to stare at the bound agent.

His glare was so intense that he barely noticed Yang joining him. "Penny for your thoughts?" She asked, getting a grunt from the boy.

"My thoughts, worth only a penny? I'll amuse you nevertheless if that is what you wish." He hummed, attention only half on the girl. "I was wondering if we passed the point of putting lead in her head and dropping her corpse in a cut, some part of me is hoping not." Neo popped into view from the side, signing her opinion.

" **Finally, an idea I can get behind."** Came her snarky smile. " **We really don't have a good relationship with any sort of authority."** She added, at Yang's confusion Umber translated.

"If it's coming from her, your idea is only bad and you know my opinions on that." She stated, though she was confused on something. "But what on Remnant is a 'cut'?" Umber froze as his facade was broken, by himself no less. He kept his composure as he gave an answer.

"Slang for canal." Umber answered, not completely honest. "Your idea, thought about it. Ingenious perhaps, putting words into actions in another matter. Before I present your offer, I need to be certain this is what you desire." He swore at the step back in his tongue, but ignored it to wait for the blonde's answer. Yang quickly came to realise that lives were now truly on the line, and she controlled whether they die or not. One hand, they'd have an agent from the Atlesian government, on the other this plan could backfire and affect her friends.

"Do it." She finally said firmly, nodding to the boy.

"So be it." He hummed as he pulled another file from his jacket and made his way from the room. Ashley had been left in the room, leaving her to brew with her thoughts. How long could she realistically hold out if the maniac chooses to torture her? Those knights just gave punches, asking no real questions. He would know what he wants to know, it wouldn't take long for him to get his answers. Even Atlas were to come to her aid, they would've done so… maybe her tracks her far too covered at this point, maybe they don't even realise the agent was missing.

It was then that she remembered the lockpick buried within her skin, her paranoia and struggles to even get the small object into her arm paying off. The teen slowly pushed the black piece of metal from under her skin, catching it quickly. She only needed to get these strange cuffs off, then she'd use her Semblance to escape and-

The door slammed shut. Ashley almost dropped the pin, snapping up to find Umber striding towards the table. The dapper teen sat and placed the file in his hand parallel to the tabletop corner, at least that confirmed the OCD from his profile.

"We share a hatred of the unknown, both well versed in the world of intelligence and understanding unknowns are fatal." He stated, matching the agent's glare of defiance. Only, her cold stare was to hide her lockpicking under the table. "Thus, you must have a… sufficient idea of how much you pain me." The masked teen leaned onto the table. "So naturally, I have remedied this. I must say, you impress me, agent." He pulled open the paper file and slid over a few documents to her.

"First official reference was through communication, deep wilderness recon team claiming discovery of a juvenile. Somehow, in an uncharted and unpopulated forest. Upon returning to Atlas, the girl had proved her worth and gained citizenship thanks to a kind man. Medical examination revealed a case of retrograde amnesia, taking fourteen years from the fourteen year old, and only a pinch of broken English. What is beyond breathtaking is even with the literal crippling disadvantages, you still joined into the finest Atlesian military prep school in Remnant."

"Current record holder of the academy's combat course." A photo copied award was placed onto the table. "Perfect 25, 50, 75 metre marksmanship scores." Three more joined the first. "Class Ducks for first years." Another award dropped, soon followed by many more. The entire table was covered in awards, commendations and other papers singing the agent's praise. "Eventually, of only two mere years of studies the academy decided you've learnt all they were offering, thus they set out into the world."

"No surprise when every branch of the Atlesian government offered positions, everybody wanted this perfect girl. In short time, I found no less than twenty seven agencies whose offers would've set you on a very promising career. Yet you choose behavioral analysis…" Umber spoke with clear disappointment, shaking his head at the girl.

"While I do not exactly grasp the understanding of such a choice, it isn't my place to judge." He hummed sincerely as he opened another file. "Your performance was above and beyond, surpassing every other student in the history of the academy… for a single semester. Then you disappear from standard channels, becoming a mystery once more. I had to make a number of calls before I found this." Umber pulled a stack of papers from his seemingly bottomless jacket, placing them gently before the amazed Ashley.

"A thesis on 'The Bogeymen of the Intelligence community'. Due to time restraints, I haven't had time to finish reading it, I do however understand the basic premise. An organised group of individuals have been successfully staging a covert war against Atlas for nearly two years. Within these 82 pages, you have accredited this group with twenty two accounts of treasonous acts of the highest degree. Most, unknown in terms of public knowledge. From here, my theory goes that you are approached by Specialist Schnee, acknowledges your thesis is equitable with only one exception. It was only one bogeyman."

"This entire ordeal left me with a single question, I couldn't help but wonder about your names. Last name in particular. Carmine. An ASF legend shares that name, said legend had happened to be leading the recon team that found you. No relation, at least to me. Am I wrong?" He asked the agent, who had remained silent as this psycho picked apart her life before her very eyes.

"At this stage, you're just grasping at straws." She spat.

"Perhaps you have a point." Umber admitted, leaning back from the table. "If not for the adoption certificate I would have believed you." Those eleven words froze Ashley's blood within her veins, her eyes locked ahead as the dapper teen stood and walked behind the girl with her folder. "This wouldn't be your childhood home?" He asked coldly and rhetorically. "Or is that your surrogate mother? Perhaps is that your surrogate father? What of your older brother and god sister and nephew, they aren't your family are they?" With each member, a photo was thrown in front of the agent.

Ashley couldn't move, couldn't even think of what he could do to her family in her moment of pure terror. The dapper teen returned to his seat gracefully, tilting his head at the girl. Finally, she hissed. "What do you want?" Fear clear in each word.

"I have but one burning question, agent." The boy stated. "How does someone of your intellect, training and family take…" He pulled up his sleeve and checked his watch. "Six minutes to get through a standard handcuff lock?" The lock clicked and the agent flew to to her feet, cuffed hand raised towards the teen as she activated her Semblance. Umber's Aura shone black, his movements halted, and the agent reached with her outstretched hand to pull his jericho from his pocket.

The pistol was immediately leveled at the dapper teen in a flawless stance, though it did little to stop him from talking.

"Bravo, even if I knew that was coming. In the future, practice your lockpicking. Lowering the time can mean the difference between life and death." He criticized.

"Shut your fucking mouth." Ashley snapped, scanning the room in anticipation for her next move. The sound of chuckling filled the room, turning a bit maniacal. Umber hummed, putting an end to the near cackling sound in her ears.

"It is an unfortunate shame that you didn't foresee the magnet." Without warning, his black gauntlet shot out and slammed onto the table. The agent was powerless to stop her wrist and pistol from being swiftly dragged to the table, forcing her to release her focus from the masked teen.

Umber instantly pounced at her, wrapping his hand around her wrist. When he pulled back, another pair of icey cuffs encased her wrists, though he wasn't done yet. The boy deactivated the magnets and punched the agent in the nose, sending her stumbling back into her seat. The dapper teen left the jericho on the table to taunt her, any attempts to gran would be met by his unholy speed.

"With the formalities out of the way." He started again. "You are truly ignorant. No thought about the luck you currently possess, without my newest guests you would've found yourself in much worse condition." Umber stated calmly, pulling something from his pocket. The agent was too busy reaching for her bleeding nose to notice. "One of my guests wishes to extend an offer, more generous than my own. It would be in your best interest to take it." She glanced at him with suspicion, her eyes drawn to his outstretched hand and handkerchief.

He let out a huff when she made no attempt to grab it, so he threw it onto the table between them. The agent slowly reached for it, unsure if this psycho mistook the rag for a pistol. She still dabbed her wound with it after ensuring its purpose

"Tell your guest to go fuck themselves." She spat, glaring at the reflective mask. "I'm not getting caught dead doing anything that you can benefit from." Ashley muttered from behind her bloody rag, averting her gaze from Umber' faceless stare.

"Understand, agent, you are the sole benefactor." The dapper teen stated, leaning onto the table. "They want you to come with us, through the process of removing ourselves from this city. Problems arise when the question of protection comes forth. My rational fear is placing a weapon in your hands, worried I won't be able to stop you from assaulting me." He continued with a hum, looking to the mirror wall for a moment. "If I am to be honest, I would be disappointed if you didn't. No need to mention the time you've wasted, or how I've demonized your day-to-day life."

Ashley sat silent for awhile, slowly opening her mouth. "Let's say… for argument's sake, I say yes… what happens when we're out?" She asked cautiously, waiting for Umber to find his words.

"You can go back to your fantasy world, where you believe it is even possible to apprehend me and I see your agency as a mere inconvenience." He finally answered, igniting a laugh from the agent.

"You must think I'm an idiot." She hissed with an enraged tone, leaning over the table with a snarl. "The moment, the bloody second, I'm not useful I can expect a shallow grave." That got a low chuckle from the boy, giving the agent a chill.

"Agent, I do not think you an idiot, I know you to be one. The lack of wisdom within someone who sees themselves with limitless intelligence, makes it difficult to comprehend you as anything otherwise." He stated, tilting his head at Ashley. "And for the record, I respect my enemies enough to give them a proper rest."

The girl was dumbstruck at how forthcoming the maniac was and the complete lack of denial he showed.

"Well the way I see it, I'm already a dead woman. Only thing I can control is the fucking weather, so I guess I can help along the way... if I was dead. Get fucked, I'll never join you." She sneered and spat at him, glaring at the teen as he nodded a few times.

"So be it, agent." Umber spat, figuring she was too dug in to sway her. He stood slowly and left the room, grabbing his cane and closing the door. Instantly, she started to play back her final thoughts as her life started to flash before her eyes. Some of the stuff flashing before her eyes were things she'd never gave no notice until now, it didn't matter anymore. She was already dead.

Then the door opened and in walked a woman no older than herself, who promptly pulled out a spare chair and sat down behind the table. Her golden blonde mane, for lack of a better work, down to her out of place boots showed many a personality flaw in the agent's eyes; this teenager wasn't even attempting to hide them either. Ashley smiled to herself as she made notes, just in case she had to pull out an upper hand during negotiation, or combat. Before she could plan anymore, the blonde gave her a curveball.

"Look, I'm gonna be completely honest with you. In a battle of smarts between us, you'd win no matter what." She stated and leaned onto the table. "So here's what's going to happen. I'm gonna give you everything I know, then you'll make your own conclusion and I'll have faith you'll join us." The blonde said firmly, nodding once in confidence. The agent took her time scanning over the teen's face for a hint of lying, so far this girl was either better than her at lying or she was actually telling the truth.

"Go on." The blonde smirked to herself, accepting the stern command.

"Well, for starters I'm Yang Xiao Long, nice to meet you!" Yang chirped and extended a hand for a hearty shake, only to find a pair of cuffed hands on the table. She retracted her hand with a awkward chuckled. "I'm a huntress, well huntress in training, so I'm not exactly sure how long they've had you. But the whole hunting us down to murder us is the new pastime for Vale's overlords." Her anger wasn't subtle as her eyes flashed red and her hands clenched into fists. "Me and my team-"

"My team and I." Ashley cut in with a scowl, annoyed by the lack of grammar.

"-were the only ones who made it out, at least at the start. Along came Umber and one ass kicking, I fell out with my dad and set off to rescue the huntsmen left in Vale. All with his warped sense of honor." Ashley perked an eyebrow at that last part, Yang spotted it immediately. "I thought you knew a lot about Umber?" She questioned with a confused tone.

"I've spent months trying to put myself in his mindset to capture him, I never considered his 'honor' so far." The agent admitted to the blonde, who shrugged in response; not entirely understanding.

"He has no problem with putting a lot of people in the dirt, at the same time he sees lying as evil. Between you and me, I wouldn't try and get into his mindset." Yang leans back for a moment, checking the one-way mirror for anything. "Anyway, back on subject, he tracked down and freed everyone; but I want him to bring you too and so… here we are. Umber has a way out of the city and plans to get to Mistral."

"So why am I important to you?" The agent asked impatiently.

"I'm hoping to skip straight to Atlas, basically getting you to call your friends to get us there. But there is another reason why I want you to come with us. Going back to the whole battle of wits thing, I keep feeling that even if he seems honest Umber always has something that he's keeping from me." Yang let out a grunt, shaking her head. "In short, I don't trust him."

"Really now, why's that?" Ashley asked sarcastically, the blonde still gave her an answer.

"Cause he told me not to."

The agent leaned back in her chair as she thought over both propositions given to her, though now this second one wasn't based on her survival. What could she gain? Insight on her target from either the source or Yang was too good to pass up, she'd have to keep her cards close to her chest if she wanted to report her findings no matter what. Before she could say anything, the blonde's scroll buzzed. Her lilac eyes scanned over the message 'tiny bitch' sent her.

"Looks like our mysterious friend is back, so what's your decision?" Yang flicked a thumb towards the glass, no doubt where a masked gaze was staring at them.

"Your, terms are acceptable. Deal." Ashley finally answered, in just the right way that reminded the blonde of Weiss. Must be an Atlas thing.

"Great. Give me a moment to find out what Umber wants." Yang stood up with a grin, walking through the door, ready to give the dapper teen a smug earful. "See, that's what you get when you use actual talk instead of..." Her smile fades at the sight of the crates sitting next to Umber, each holding bits of armour and weapons.

"Why, Ms. Xiao Long, I had the utmost faith in you." He stated casually, bumping a crate with his cane. It didn't take long for Yang to realised she just being used, her victorious smile completely wiped from her face. "It would be logical to prep your colleagues, we leave in thirty minutes." Umber told the blonde before turning to the petite woman behind him. "I'd appreciate you keeping an eye on our agent, make sure she doesn't do anything rash." Neo merely smiled and switched her eye colours.

The dapper teen started moving the crates towards the door, only to have a hand land on his shoulder. "What do you think you're doing?" Yang asked with a frown.

"Giving a large amount of equipment to the agent." He answered without pause, giving the girl a tilt of his head. "Then off to have a friendly chat with our second prisoner, can I do that or will that be a problem?" Yang released the teen and stepped back, hands up in dramatic fashion. "Thank you."

Ashley jumped slightly when the dapper teen booted the door open and dropped the three boxes onto the table. "I have been told that you two have reached an understanding?" He asked politely, throwing out the fact he had punched her in the face just minutes ago.

"Yeah, we made a deal, bit hard to keep my end of the bargain in cuffs." The agent sneered with a smug smirk.

"Which cuffs would you be referring to, agent?" Umber chuckled quietly, watching her expression turn to confusion as she jerked her hand up to find nothing. The cuff and her witty remark had both disappeared into thin air. The dapper teen ignored her confusion and tapped the crates. "This contains the contents confiscated from you by Vale's occupiers, to my understanding it is unfortunately incomplete. These two crates will substitute your missing gear, this one holds advanced Atlesian equipment and the other my own personal kit." He explained, stepped back and gesturing to all three. "Pick and mix to our hearts content, excuse me while I chat with Ms. Sustrai. Do not hesitate to ask for assistance, if necessary." With that the teen exited the room proper and made his way to the holding cells, leaving the door wide open.

Umber's brisk walk ended quickly as he slipped into the room silently, doing little as the only prisoner was eagerly watching the door. The boy remained mute while he pulled the nearby chair in front of her cell, unbuttoned his jacket and hung a holster to two green revolvers before sitting down peacefully. Emerald raised an eyebrow at the masked teen's actions.

"You gonna say something or are you just going to sit there menacingly?" The thief asked in a bored tone.

"Well this is one of times I'm at a loss of words." He admitted, rubbing a hand over the chin of his mask. "How about we begin like this, shall we? There is a passage of a text, one that I am quite fond of. 'There's two things in life you can't take back, words and bullets. So make sure to hit what you at and make sure you mean what you say'." Umber recited with a fond hum.

"Thus, would you happen to be working for a malevolent individual who wields powers bordering the supernatural and world ending?" Emerald choked, eyes widening in terror all but confirming his suspicion. Nevertheless, the red eyed teen tried to play it off.

"W-what? What are you talking about, I'm a huntsman like you!" She shouted in defiance. Umber slowly leaned forwards in his seat, mask mere inches from the glass wall.

"Tell me, Sustrai, is your ass jealous of the quantity of shit falling from your mouth? Huntsman isn't a title that neither you or I share, do not lie to me." He spoke in a low, level voice. Emerald knew it was useless to keep up the ruse and sighed, looking at the ground.

"How did you know?" She muttered finally.

"One Ms. Neopolitan informed me of a number of people under the orders of a Maiden by the name of Cinder, one of those people was yourself. My most recent client indulged me with the knowledge that there was a master of the Grimm, it didn't take long to put it together. The Breach, Atlesian bots going mad, reports of a woman and man attacking the CCT, lack of information. Cinder must be powerful, or she works for someone of even greater power." Umber hummed, glaring at the mint haired girl.

"Wait, you know about the Maidens?" She asked, clearly surprised.

"I know of them, doubt their validity however." He answered calmly, waiting for Emerald to ask the question he was waiting for.

"If know all this, why do you need me?" The mint haired teen found her answer in the form of a pointed finger.

"Well, you see my green haired friend, I pride myself on knowing this world. Its inner workings and such. Needless to say, these past days have imploded that pride. So having a witch with fabled power on good terms rather than one in the unknown seems more logical. That's where you come in. If your… Maiden is in need of a favour, or vice versa. A vital link would be required to relay said requests, you may be that important piece of the puzzle. Even without anything coming to fruition, at least I won't need to cover another front." The dapper teen finished by opening the door and handing the holster to the girl.

Emerald snatched her weapon from his hand, chuckling at his mask. "You really don't know what you're getting into."

"I know exactly what I'm getting into, no doubt I'll perrish before considering the consequences." Umber's hand landed on the dark skinned girl's shoulder as she tried to leave. "One last request, then you can go. I trust that if you did manage to keep to keep this a secret from most, you can continue to do so. Correct?" He questioned, getting his hand thrown off.

"I'm not an idiot." Was all he got as she stormed out of the room, attaching her holsters to her hips. Umber wandered back into the observation room through another door, spotting Neo standing by the one-way mirror.

"Anything to note?" He asked as he joined her, realising that question was useless when he looked into the room. The agent had completely changed from head to toe, starting with her still wet hair now hung around her shoulders, what must've been her natural dark grey with a single silver streak was a notable change from the sickly green from before. Umber saw her eyes were a dark amber, confusing him until he spied the contact lenses laying on the table.

Her casual clothes were traded for something that bore similarities to Yang. Ashley wore a white dress shirt, a rip over the shoulder exposed some skin, and a black tie that sported the Atlas emblem. Over her chest was a black piece of body armour, while her lower torso was a set of interlocking plates, it may not be his numeric weave but it was still high grade stolen Atlesian gear. Covering her hands were a pair of tough gloves, which quickly pulled her grey sweater on. The zipper stopped just under the chestplate, apparently it was good enough.

On her legs were a pair of black short shorts, complemented by thigh high socks and her normal shoes. The only pieces of standard military gear was a pair of greaves and knee pads, hinting at a priority of superiority over comfort. The agent pulled two belts from her personal effects, covered by cylinders of ammunition and a few separately coloured rounds, which she strapped around her waist.

Ashley's hand paused above the crate, fingers rubbing together, before reaching in a pulling out a contraption. The dapper teen hummed in realisation as she pulled out a stock and a lever along with trigger and scope popped from the body of the weapon. She flicked the lever a few times before sliding a single round behind the trigger, testing for any tampering from the masked teen. Ashley gripped the stock of her lever action and placed it over her right shoulder, attaching to her back and compacking it down again. Something in her sweater holding it in place.

Throughout her entire arsenal, those pads for her legs were truly the only things she originally had, the rest came from Umber's superior collection; confirming her want of superiority over comfort. Umber felt his attention taken from the agent at to the burning pain in his shin, courtesy of Neo.

" **Pick up your jaw, we have to talk."** The woman signed with a firm look in her eyes.

"Indeed we do." The boy replied as he turned. "How did she wash her hair? I was in the cells, dd you let her go out?" The petite woman blinked in insulted confusion.

" **You think I- I'm not stupid, I wouldn't let the cop waltz around your safehouse. I cuffed her and put a bag over her head."** Neo stated with a proud grin with extra sass in her hands.

"You prepared a foreign government agent for an execution, paraded her in full view of our guests… did you really think that would put their stress at ease?" He asked calmly, causing the petite woman to roll her eyes.

" **I don't give a damn about what they feel."** She signed back. Umber nodded twice.

"Fair enough. Wonder when I started considering their mindset?" The boy asked himself, watching the ice-cream woman silently laugh and point at him in an overly exaggerated manner.

" **The big badass assassin wrapped around the bimbo's finger."** Neo continued, wiping a tear from her eye. " **I can already see it, you bringing her breakfast in bed while she's tugging on the vice around your balls!"** By this point, the woman had lost it in mute laughter, almost kneeling over entirely.

"Classy and inaccurate per usual." Umber said in uncomfortable calm, turning to watch the agent fine tune her equipment as Neo continued to roll around on the ground, lost in her amusement. Finally, she hauled herself up by the window sill, over selling on her part. Still proud not only on her creativity, but the fact she could make the emotional distance to get that flustered. She got a hold on herself before asking her original question.

" **So… the 'cut'?"** She signed, causing the boy to swallow nervously, of course someone would pick up on his mistake.

"Indeed." Was his simple reply.

" **I only know of a handful of people who would use a word like that."** She stated with a mischievous borderline maniacal expression, Umber was growing impatient.

"There is a question, enough dancing around it. Ask." With that, Neo rolled her eyes and asked her question. The question that would ruin his entire reputation, one that he had specially crafted over many years torn apart thanks to one mistake, just one slip of the tongue. The petite raised her hands with a smug look in her eyes and signed her question.

 **Yes this is a cliffhanger, no this isn't the end for another week. Just hit that right there next chapter and boom!**

 **Voda means Aqua in Russian apparently, I trust my friend.**


	33. BNTY: A Case of High Octane Violence

" **You a faunus?"** The dapper teen recoiled in surprise, completely caught off guard by the question, he was expecting something entirely different from the one she asked.

"Not that I know of." He answered, the look in Neo's eyes told him that she wasn't taking his word. In her mismatched eyes, it made perfect sense for the teen to be a faunus. The mask, the incredibly sharp, almost animalistic, reactions and instincts. Not to mention his blatantly scary stance of prejudice. The smaller woman slowly nodded, squinting at the dapper teen. Umber could tell that this line of questioning wasn't over, certain that Neo would do something in the future to test her theory; at the moment he couldn't care less.

"Anything else you wish to ask? Or has your devilish mind had its hunger sated?" He asked the woman, getting a shake of the head for an answer. Umber nodded and disappeared into the secret elevator, just moments before Yang walked in.

"We're all set and ready to-" She paused as she noticed the room void of the boy, with only a certain woman staring at her with a smirk. The agent in the other room was decked in full gear, sitting with her feet on the table with a bored expression. The blonde was on the way to checking the cells when the wall opened up, with the dapper teen walking in with a duffle bag and medical satchel in his hands. His appearance worried Yang, more so than usual.

She had seen Umber brave a fortress in nothing more than a three piece suit, but now he looked prepared for a one hell of a firefight. His entire left arm was covered by battle-worn, numeric weave plate, interlocking to leave little exposed but allow full maneuverability. His gauntlets were replaced by an elbow length alternative, with a more glove appearance due to the fingerless element. Both were fit snugly over his jacket.

A chestplate replaced his vest, fitted tightly to his chest to remove any sense of bulk, along with his jacket remaining unbuttoned to allow the retrieval of anything within. Over his left shoulder was a single strap backpack, disappearing over his right side, with a number of hand grenades decorated said strap.

From his belt and around his left leg hung pistol magazines, with a savage looking knife and a pouch on his right thigh. To top off his makeover, a long assault rifle was hanging on his left side. Neo was just as surprised as Yang by the extreme change in wardrobe, though unlike the blonde she didn't have the restraint to stop herself from examining every new aspect of his clothing.

She walked up to the dapper teen and forcefully spun him around, finding his backpack had a large length of rope, glow sticks and other objects hanging from the exterior. Her eye caught something, so she roughly yanked up his coat and found another handgun holstered in the small of his back.

To the side of his holster sat three banana shaped mags for his rifle, though Neo's attention was set on a long pry bar. She yanked it out from his back and smiled in glee, it was a ten inch hatchet made of that familiar cold numeric weave. Umber snatched the weapon from the troublesome woman and sheathed it back in place, just in time for Yang to speak.

"Can I ask a dumb question?" The blonde asked, watching the petite woman trying to get past the teen's arms to clamber over him.

"Better than anyone I know." He muttered at the woman, who pouted and stepped back.

"Is this really necessary?" She pointed at his new get up, Umber tilted his head at the girl.

"Have you forgotten the gentlemen you had the pleasure of meeting on the Patch-Vale commute?" The dapper teen asked, it took the blonde a moment to remember the suited gang from the ferry.

"I remember corpses." Was her bitter answer.

"Same difference. Due to the rushed nature of our escape, they will undoubtedly catch wind of us. They will not be alone, or be the most violent pursuers." Umber stated, satisfied with the explanation. He made his way out of the room with the pair following him, he stopped outside the interrogation room in the hall and knocked politely.

"What is it?" Came a voice from within, the masked teen opened the door but continued to stand outside.

"We will be leaving momentarily." He said before continuing down the hall and out into the loading bay, opening the wall next the large truck that sat next to his van. Umber walked around the side and opened the twin doors of the container before climbed into it and turning to face the crowd of teens.

"Your attention please!" He called, getting the attention of those still talking with one another. "I will be informing you all of what will be happening from this point onwards, you will be following my orders." There was a shout from the back of the group, from a mohawked hunter.

"Why makes you think we'll follow you?" Russell barked, causing a murmur to rise from the crowd.

"You will follow my way for many reasons, one of which is that I do not trust a single one of you. Another is the fact I know the ways that you all survive somewhat intact. I am very well aware that very few of you trust me, honestly don't care if you do or don't. I am also aware that you all are in a situation comparable to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, and that I'm offering the sole exit to freedom." He paused for a moment, glaring at the group from behind his mask. "Everyone who has the urge to keep your blood in your arteries, make your way into the truck."

Yang watched the dapper teen approaching her, completely ignoring the stunned expressions of the other teens. She had come to expect the morbid comments, but that didn't mean she was impressed by this stunt.

"What the fuck was that?" Was all the blonde had to say, though it seemed to confuse the boy.

"Thought I made thing blatantly clear, I will not lie. Not to survive and not to protect people's fragile emotions. Besides, it clearly got my point across." Umber stated, waiting for the girl to look around the empty room. The whole group, minus Coco who was assisting Sage and Fox into the truck, were sitting in the seats that spanned the walls. Umber waited for the trio to climb in before closing the doors and walking into the cargo lift to the lower lodge.

The blonde heard the rattling of the lift a few minutes later, finding the masked teen had brought two stretchers. Both Scarlet and Octavia were strapped down with large black straps to keep them from flying off. Yang helped Umber carry the pair over towards the truck, laying them near the truck. Her hand drifted over to the strap latch only to be gripped by the dapper teen's cold grasp.

"I would appreciate if your allies didn't know of the skeletons in my closet, or the ones in these stretchers." He stated calmly, striding through the door hidden behind the truck to retrieve one last guest. Umber returned with the agent, blindfolded and face ever so slightly caked with dry blood. She was guided to the back of the transport, then immediately shoved into a seat when Yang opened the doors. "Enjoy the ride, agent."

Ashley scoffed at the boy as the other huntsmen helped their two injured comrades into the truck. Umber paused to check over the unconscious pair one last time then slammed the doors shut, right in the faces of Yang and Neo. They stood dumbfounded for a second before the blonde called the dapper teen from her scroll, confusion spread across her shadowy face.

"Yes, Ms. Xiao Long?" He asked calmly.

"Yeah, what are you doing? Pretty sure we had a deal that I'd be with you every step, you know, to make sure you don't bone us." She exclaimed in a hiss, tad annoyed at his actions.

"If you want me to reach the first checkpoint, visibly aiding and abetting both a huntress and notorious criminal. Please, alert me so I may assist you." Came the masked teen's response. "We are fifteen minutes from the city limits, in turn the checkpoint. Stopping to change seating arrangements, raises both suspicion and risk of traffic cameras spotting our merry band. Once we have passed the city checkpoints I will let you out before the rural, more thorough, checkpoint." Umber explained before falling silent, the scroll beeping in response.

There was a snort of amusement from within the dark. "You're all so gullible." Announced the dapper teen's biggest fan, even if she was biased it did little to reduce the worry floating in the transport.

The journey was the most nerve racking experience for almost everyone trapped in the truck. To know that you're life was in the hands of someone who willingly took them for a living didn't improve moral, not to mention the ghost stories whispered into her ears. Ashley had taken to retelling the atrocities the Umber had committed to Yang and the psychotic petite woman, though Neo seemed to be enjoying the stories as she clapped a few times. The blonde, in the meanwhile, was desperately trying to ignore her.

"-you see, with a bullet of that caliber you don't necessarily have to hit the target. The fact that the impact alone has the force to tear a limb from an Auraless person, he just had to wait for the pressure sensor in the seat to activate. With a general idea of where the diplomat was, a loud pop along with six inches less of concrete marked his end. You know, they had to clean what was left of him with a mop and sent him home in a soup can." Her story came to an end just as the truck suddenly stopped.

The engine was cut and the air filled with tension, causing the group to listen for anything. The armour on the door must've been spread across the truck, masking any sound. The vehicle shook slightly as the front door opened and closed, the agent next to her stood up.

"Fish in a fucking barrel." She muttered and pulled her rifle from her back, readying herself in front of the door. The truck shook again before the engine roared to life, Ashley lowered her rifle uneasily in the dark. Three loud bangs sounded from outside, somehow echoing throughout the back and giving a squeal of surprise in return. Coco went ahead and reassured the person, seeming to end the unexpected confusion.

The truck lurched into motion, knocking the agent off her feet and onto someone's lap. She immediately shoved herself off and sat back in her seat, settling the space back into silence. Only interrupted by a faint buzzing of the blonde's phone, her eyes were unprepared for the sudden light and she squinted as she looked over the message.

"Alright, looks like we'll be out of the city in five minutes." She repeated to the group, hearing the quiet remark from the agent.

"Somebody needs to work on their people skills." She muttered under her breath. Sure enough, five minutes later directly on the dot, the truck stopped and the doors were flung open. Blinding light flooded the enclosed space, with barely enough time to adjust they found Umber climbing in and kneeling beside the injured teens. He fiddled through the motions of checking vital signs, restraints and the IV drips hanging nearby, he stood to leave before his eye caught sight of the cloudy eyed boy slumped in his seat. The masked teen made his way over and crouched once more, turning on a penlight and moving his hand to examine the boy.

Only for Fox's teammate to throw her arm between the pair. "Hang on buddy, what do you think you're doing?" Coco snapped defensively, glaring at the suited teen.

"An important technique, most commonly known as finding brain functions within you friend." Umber answered without hesitation, getting a kick in the back from a disappointed blonde. "Almost forgot to act like a care." He turned to the beret wearing girl. "I apologise for your lose." The truck went silent at his sincere words, finally broken by Coco's angry cry.

"He isn't dead!"

"Who decides that? Your extensive medical knowledge, or mine?" Umber asked coldly, flicking her hand away and pointing the light into the white eyes of Fox, swollen almost completely shut. He found no reaction from the pupils, either he was blind or brain-dead.

"Tu vivus? Tu mortem?" The dapper teen asked the cloudy eyed teen, getting looks of confusion around him. Except for the sudden recoil from the teen in question.

"Tu loqui lingua?" Fox responded in a slur of foreign tongue, getting a nod from Umber.

"Quantum?" He raised three fingers in front of the teen, watching closely.

"Treeesss" Came the slurred answer, again in the strange language. Umber shone the light in his eyes once more to find no change.

"Fascinating." The masked teen hummed. "How can you see? An ability I've never seen." He continued.

"Wah-at..?" Fox asked in his confused state, falling silent from either his wounds or just simply refusing to speak. Whichever it was, Umber knew pushing would only make the situation worse, thus a syringe soon found itself in his neck. The clear liquid flowing through his body.

"This will help with the swelling, inside and out." The dapper teen stated, repeating it again to ensure the words made it through all parties listening. Umber stood and gave the boy a pat on the shoulder before he found the hunters milling around stretching their arms in the open air. "We need to move, three hours till we reach the next checkpoint. Do make haste." He called, setting only five of the small group of motion; the rest blinking in confusion.

"What?" Dove asked, both scared and not understanding the teen's words. The masked boy sighed, shaking his head.

"Centuries of evolution, our species becomes this." He muttered calmly, taking a moment to exhale. "Get in the truck." Umber said firmly, clearly and plainly. The group shuffled into the dark again, with the exception of Neo and Yang, and the doors were clamped shut.

"People respond better when you ask nicely, you do know that?" The blonde snapped at the boy, crossing her arms with a scowl.

"Would they? One word does little to efficiently make my point, no reason to waste breath." The dapper teen stated coldly, turning to stare at the blonde.

"Well, no, but if you say it in a way that everyone understands they would listen more." Yang suggested, though stating it in a more argumentative tone.

"Talking in a dumbed down version, not exactly what I had planned. Especially for those who lost the genetic lottery." Umber hummed as he walked to the passenger door of the cabin, opening for the girls. "Ladies first." He said with a flourish of his hand. The blonde hesitated, still trying to make an argument, which Neo took advantage of by swiftly climbing in.

"Oh no you don't." The lilac eyed girl shouted. Yang rushed up the step ladder to find the petite woman sitting in the large seat, smugness radiating from her smirk. That smirk turned to an angry silent cry as she was hefted easily into the air and thrown into the small sleeper in the back, landing on a stiff mattress. She tried to jump over but the other girl had clicked the seat belt over, poking her tongue out at the smaller woman.

Neo raised her parasol to stab Yang but the masked teen slamming the door on his side halted her, she pouted and leaned against the back wall and pulled her scroll out. Umber started the engine, causing the cabin to rumble and shudder. The blonde found the standard equipment you'd expect in the centre console, air conditioning, GPS and radio. The first and last items she fiddled with, setting a cold flow of air to blow at her while she flicked the radio on.

"Gooood morning, Remnant!" To be instantly remined why she had avoided radios up to this point, she reached over only for the dapper teen to stop her.

"It may benefit your cause, 'know thy enemy' so to say." Yang swallowed her anger and sat back, eyes locked on the road ahead.

"You've joined me on 37.0, welcome to my little slice of paradise. Oh, if you're new, call me Radioman, since I'm bringing the tunes to you!" The familiar cheerful voice laughed for a moment. "Now, I got some juicy stuff here for all of you today! Courtesy of our friends in Vale, turns out some friendly gentleman has gifted one of our teams with a handful of new weapons! I wish to extend my personal thanks to that stranger, for helping the boys fight the real enemy. I think we all know who that is-" Yang smashed the dial on the box with blazing eyes.

"That's enough of that." She spat and sat back, moving her legs to stretch them under the dashboard. Her knee hit some rattly contraption, she looked down to find both the boy's cane and rifle stashed in a pair of special holsters, built for easy and quick access. She curiously pulled the rifle out and put it on her lap, remembering those times Ruby had forced her to read one of her choices of magazines. At least she knew the basics of how one worked.

The blonde ejected the mag and cocked the weapon, finding it empty; the prepped teen doesn't keep a bullet in the chamber. Huh. Her examination raised a question.

"I got a question, one of the ones you have to answer properly." Yang added firmly, looking at the dapper teen. "Why guns?" Umber hummed as he drove.

"You have to elaborate." He said calmly, puzzled by the broad question.

"Why use guns? I guess you have your cane-sword thing, but you always seem to have a gun in your hand. Almost always a plain old one, just point and shoot kinda thing." She explained, watching Umber hum again in thought.

"A wise warrior should never limit themselves to one weapon, in turn one way to respond to that which threatens them. First, understand that weapons are tools for combat. How do I explain? You wouldn't use a hammer to cut wood. Firearms aren't weapons, they are weapon platforms. I could use the same firearms to clear a room and, in theory, use them to great accuracy at long range."

His explanation didn't satisfy the girl, as he check her thoughtful face, so he continued. "Firearms are blanket weapons, applicable to most instances with adequate affect. Being concealed, silenced, used in both short to long ranges and so forth. While my cane on the other hand is a surgical tool, only applied to a few select situations with devastating results. Situations being when I have the upper hand, knowing strengths and weaknesses, times and place where I have prepared for eventual combat." The dapper teen explained again, finally getting a nod from the blonde.

"So basically, guns cover all bases?" She simplified, getting a nod from the boy.

"Exactly." The cabin fell silent, making the next hour and a half uneventful. She could've started another conversation with the boy but didn't have a clue where to start, and Neo was just a massive nope. The unexpected happened, Umber broke the silence.

"Do you know how to drive, Ms. Xiao Long?" He asked, catching her off guard.

"Yeah, I usually drive a bike?" She answered hesitantly.

"Good enough. Could you kindly take the wheel, I haven't slept since the Breach. Quite hard to keep my focus on the road." Umber admitted, glancing over to the girl. "It would be anticlimactic if after everything we've done, we find ourselves wrapped around a tree due to my sleep deprivation."

"Jeez, if you were that tired you should've said sooner!" The blonde exclaimed, getting a short grunt from the boy as he pulled to the side of the road. They both climbed out of their respective seats, while the dapper teen remained on his side Yang made her way around the front of the truck. She found Umber staring off into the bushes, silent and unmoving. When the blonde tried to follow his gaze, she found nothing. "What are we looking at?" She asked quietly, eyes narrowed.

"It's not clear." Umber nodded towards the bushes. "Something moving, an unnatural grey shape. Might be my exhausted mind, clearly I'm in desperate need of sleep." He shook his head and walked around the truck to the passenger side, leaving the blonde to scan the undergrowth. She had an uneasy feeling, slowly growing from the lack of anything. Yang turned and climbed into the driver's seat, finding Umber staring at her.

"Even if something is or isn't lurking in the forest, it is prudent for us to get underway." The dapper teen stated firmly, gesturing for the girl to start the engine. Yang took a moment to get her bearings, going from bike to massive truck wasn't the easiest. She turned to ask the boy something only to find him slumped, letting out low snores.

Little over an hour passed following the instructions of the GPS, avoiding the many small towns scattered around the outskirts of Vale. Yang let out a bored sigh just a second before Umber's scroll let out a loud buzz, immediately waking the teen who sat up and pressed a button on the GPS. The screen zoomed out and moved over to the next valley, showing a fortified checkpoint standing before a mountain pass.

"Pull over if you please." Umber hummed, waiting for the truck to pull to a stop before opening the door. "Come along, you too Ms. Neopolitan." The petite woman rolled her eyes and jumped out, following after the boy as he unlatched the back door. "Inside, if you would." He gestured to the pair.

" **This is getting annoying."** Neo signed with an unimpressed glare.

"Of course." Umber replied as he watched the girls climb into the dark, looking around the curious faces peering at him. "Now, I would like to disclose the fact this is where the plan is at its weakest. If you are directly discovered, I suggest doing what you think will heighten your chance of survival. Saying that, I have taking precautions for this situation. Make sure, be completely certain, that your cover is in fact blown." With that, the doors were latched again, engulfing the teens in abyssal darkness. They sat in a familiar state of agonizing suspense as the truck rolled around corner after corner, waiting for either a nightmare or freedom when those doors opened. The vehicle pulled to a stop, giving one last shake as the driver's door opened. The hunters sat patiently, exchanging a few unseen looks. Yang gave a sigh, the minutes were dragging on, far longer than usual.

Then a rattling noise ran along the side of the truck. The blonde frowned in confusion and slowly started to stand up before a hand landed on her shoulder, she found Neo staring down at her. The look on the petite woman's face silenced any complaints or snarky comments, her expression for once completely serious. Their resident agent stood up with a scowl, cocking her weapon and twisting a silencer to the end.

Even Emerald got up from her seat, making her way to the doors with cautious steps until her face was only inches from the thin opening. There was a pause, with those still seated holding their breath as the faint sound of footsteps came to a stop.

Suddenly, the doors were flung open once more, blinding the occupants of the transport. When their vision returned, they found Umber leaning against his cane, calmly looking to his side before turning his mask to the group. They were prepared to ask about the tapping, only for their words to die in their throats.

A brass knight marched from around the side of the door, lugging a large flamethrower into view with a snarl on his face. He was joined by another soldier, wearing a brass mask across his eyes and holding a rifle. This soldier let out a loud chuckle, turning his head to the dapper teen. "Well, well you weren't lying." He said with a rough rasp, pulling out a pair of golden coins and putting them into Umber's palm.

The larger knight put a boot onto the truck and raised his weapon, using the flame to scan over the petrified and betrayed faces within. The smaller soldier pulled a cigarette from his pocket, putting it to his lips and flicking a dying lighter on. "Gah, you don't have a light, eh?" He asked the masked teen, nonchalantly in front of the box of fugitives. Umber was all to happen to flick out a lighter and light the smoke.

"You know, I wasn't sure about putting money on an empty truck rolling up to my checkpoint. Now look at you, holding my _safe_ bet." The knight chuckled, sending a wave of confusion over those inside the truck. Empty?

"Well, hopefully on the return trip I could bring an IED or two. Maybe even a Goliath, just to make your job a little more exciting." Umber replied, a sarcastic undertone in his words. The large soldier laughed with a booming bark.

"I won't keep you any longer, I'll keep your word for that drink when I luck out and get patrol in Vale." He stated and extended a gauntlet which the dapper teen took with a firm grip.

"I would consider it an insult if you didn't, Lieutenant Cassius." The knight released the handshake and nodded at his companion, both walking away as Umber watched. He turned to the group inside and gave a two finger salute, slamming the doors shut once more. The mint haired girl stumbled back into Ashley, who was forced to grab her to keep her on her feet.

"How did you do that?" She demanded from the exhausted girl, who took a few breaths to compose herself.

"Go fuck yourself, pigshit." Emerald snarled, pushing herself free from the agent to stumbled herself into another seat. The grey haired girl blinked, almost mimicking a child who got told 'no' for the first time. She grunted and stormed back to her seat, yanking the silencer from her weapon. Taking to glaring at the other girl as the truck roared back to life.

The inexperienced huntsmen weren't used to such life threatening situations, expectually thanks to the fact they could've been gunned down by fellow humans. The adrenaline pumping through their veins caused the blue haired boy of SSSN to spew verbal diarrhea, while the others in the dark took comfort in their teammates. There were a few who seemed to stick out from the rest, at least to Yang. Emerald, Neo, the agent and Gwen were all seemingly at ease. While she understood Ashley and Neo, the knife thrower of NDGO was rumoured to have been from a shady district of Vacuo. Maybe she was used to these things, or those rumours were bull.

Though Emerald was another thing, the blonde had no clue who she really was. Not even her old friends could tell her anything about the mint haired teen. Yang's thoughts were interrupted when the transport pulled to a stop, she was already raising a hand to block the blinding light that lit the dark. The familiar masked teen stood proudly in the entrance, leaning on his cane with both hands.

"That went well by all account, thought I wasn't qualified for unethical acts such as human smuggling." Umber stated with a hint of amusement, Yang scoffed as she pushed past the teen.

"Right, because you're a shining beacon of all that is ethical." She sneered, however Neo hopped up to pat the dapper teen on the head with a smirk. Umber was about to shut the doors once again, only for Neptune to jump to his feet.

"Hey! I think I stand for everyone when I say we deserve some answers!" He shouted from the depths of the truck. "Personally, I don't exactly appreciate being left in the dark. I think a lot of people would agree with me." The masked teen sighed and got into the dim space, making his way past the standing teen and to the far back. There, he found a small box and flicked a few switches.

Lights popped on from the bases of the seats. "That is the literal problem sorted." Umber hummed, earning a glare from everyone in the transport.

"To be fair, how nobody looked for a light switch confuses me. I have been forthcoming, what is the problem?" He asked, causing the beret wearing girl nearby to stand up.

"For starters, buddy, I want to know why they didn't see us." Coco said with a scowl.

"That is ultimately not my secret to reveal." The dapper teen hummed, mask moving from behind the girl to her face directly. Yang frowned, what could he have done to hide them from those murderers. He couldn't, Emerald could. She hid from Umber's sight in the prison, she would be able to hide them from the knights. The blonde grunted with an amused face, playing with the idea of telling the others but deciding against it, seeing eye to eye with the masked teen.

"Fine then, what about those two guys out there? When'd you get all buddy-buddy with them?" Coco hissed and threw her hand in the air.

"By becoming a social chameleon. May not have met that man before, but he still holds the decision whether we passed or not. Cassius was a friend that benefited everyone." Umber explained, a tone of annoyance in his voice. Luckily Yang cut in before the argumentative questioning continued.

"I hate to say it, but we're all forgetting that none of us would have made it this far without him. While he may be new to the whole 'human' thing, he has risked a lot more than almost all of us combined out of the goodness of whatever sits where his heart is." She said, getting a chuckle from Ashley. Nobody felt like arguing that point, the two huntsmen retook their seats with huffs and gave the teen a glare for their troubles. Umber nodded at the blonde, perhaps out of respect, and walked towards the cabin. Yang went to reluctantly close the door, pausing when she caught the warning from Coco.

"Be careful, hun." The blonde sighed as she latched the door closed.

"So I've been told." She muttered under her breath. Yang found herself at the wheel, thanks to her insistence of Umber needed more than a single hour of sleep. He was stubborn, but she was more naturally stubborn to a point where the boy had to admit defeat. Only ten minutes of driving later, the truck violently swerved as the driver's side wheels jumped suddenly. The blonde slammed the brakes with a wince, gaining enough control to quickly pull onto the side of the road.

Umber, who was more than wide awake at this point, jumped out of the cabin with his cane ready. Yang followed suite, leaping down from her seat to find the dapper teen already looking at the wheels with a tilted head. "Did you see what you hit?" He asked calmly.

"I didn't hit anyth-" The blonde choked on her words when see say the oily, black blob of flesh mashed between the two tires, dripping with a dark sludge. The dapper teen poked the mass with his cane, causing something to fall from it. He laid flat against the ground and reached for the object before standing back up, the blood in Yang's vein ran cold.

It was a mangled, ruined human arm, but it was wrong. It had a grey pigment, with welts, boils and burns covering it along with a few tightly wrapped belts. Her eyes were full of horror, which Umber played off.

"I'm thankful I wasn't expected to finish it off with rock." His hum ignited her eyes an angry red, she was ready to give the masked teen a piece of her mind until a loud horn interrupted her. The pair jumped at the noise and looked into the vehicle to find that Neo had tooted the horn, an extremely concerned expression on her face.

When she realised she had their attention, her hand flew with a single finger directed at something up the road in such a sporadic matter it unnerved the blonde. Umber swiftly walked to the front of the transport, followed by Yang, to find what had gotten Neo in a fuss.

Covering the road ahead was a cloud of dust, a wall of swirling dirt and smog. How such a sight unnerved the petite woman was a mystery, while it was strange it wasn't anything to panic at. Until a snarling face emerged from the wall, teeth snapping against each other in a frenzy. More figures appeared from the fading cloud, most twitching unnaturally. Yang's blood froze as she finally saw their grey skin and belted arms. Bone covered by taut flesh, faces with hollow cheeks and eyes ablaze; as if they were a bonfire in the dark.

Their skeletal, hungry grins distracted until Umber spoke. "It is prudent for you to return to the truck, Ms. Xiao Long." The dapper teen advised, voice in a deadly calm, level volume. The blonde recoiled.

"I'm not leaving you here by yourself, those-"

"You are their target, if combat irupted you'd be little more than a nuance. Forcing me to worry of your safety on top of mine." He bluntly interrupted, the grey men were just off of a hundred metres off. "Not to mention the hasty retreat, they are not alone. They will stop at nothing to reduce you to room temperature."

While his client had gifted him with the knowledge of his home, reading it from start to finish it mentioned certain things separated from the stories of their culture, pages that he believed were simple myths. Legends told to scare or amuse. He was wrong.

"Umber, you better not be holding anything from me." Yang warned, feeling that familiar feeling of being left in the dark.

"In my novice years of contracting, unknowingly helped the Velcro Secret Intelligence Network." Before the girl could ask for the rest of the story, the masked teen interrupted. "It isn't relevant, I am holding information from you. Get in the truck, now." He ordered, though Yang wasn't going to argue when she saw the bloodthirsty grins and snarls on the approaching demons. Umber slowly waltzed his way towards the group while the blonde scampered up into the driver's seat.

His eyes snapped towards the weapons held in their deathly grips, all rusted, everyday items forged into serrated blades. He coughed into his hand and spoke. "Who are you?" They said nothing.

"Dare ga soko ni iku? Otkuda ty rodom?" The dapper teen tried, both parties still showed no signs of stopping.

"Dies ist deine letzte verbleibende wa-" The men shoved past the teen, barely acknowledging and forgetting him as they seemed to salivate at the sight of Yang's expression. It was when they were only a metre from the vehicle did Umber whistle, halting the group. Though it might've been the cane being thrown and dug into one or their heads that stopped them. They turned in unison, even though one had a fancy cane piercing his jaw and poking out of his cheek.

"Mores pretium nihl!" The boy barked out, causing one of the monsters to let out an animal-like chirp of confusion. Suddenly, they rushed forth, charging swiftly at the single teen. Fortunately, Umber had his theory confirmed and counted on this action as he calmly pulled out his Jericho.

One of the grey skinned terrors jerked back as a bullet pierced their skull, quickly dropping when another cut through its throat. The next was similarly shot, only to haul itself up to be shot a third time. The execution continued down the line, with each freaky man falling with a bullet to the neck. Mr. Cane however had closed the distance, letting out a growing roar and lunging with a crooked axe. Umber merely let the man fly past him before he took control of the fight.

Two hands grasped the ends lodged cane and swung the trapped monster each time it swung, ripping and tearing its face, teeth snapping around the object. Finally, after another useless lunge, Umber released one end and gripped the handle before swinging to the ground.

Blood spurted from the monster's mouth as its lower jaw was flung towards the treeline, muddy and rotting teeth littered the ground behind its flight. The grey man collapsed with a drawn out groan, landing and snapping something else in its face. Almost immediately, it flew onto its hands and knees, snarling as it rose. The dapper teen slammed his hand and grasped the beast's hair and yanked back, driving a cold knife into the open maw three times. He straightened up and gave the broken man a kick before picking up his cane and rushing back to the truck, speeding away from the slowly moving beast that was attempted to rise to its feet.

Yang knew now that hunters like herself were only fit to incapacitate, unlike Umber or those damned knights. Where she and others went for centre mass and limbs, the boy went for the head or simply wherever it hurt in the most brutal fashion. Speaking of the devil, he was climbing back into the passenger seat until he froze. The blonde and Neo both joined his terrified state as the sounds of revving engines roared and barked around them, joined by faint screams of pure rage; the noise filled the valley they sat in.

The dapper teen tore his assault rifle from its holster and cocked it immediately. "Time for a fighting retreat. Drive. Keep any evasive maneuvers to a minimum, this vehicle is more tank than truck. I'll keep the rear covered." He spoke calmly as he dove from his seat and slammed the door, rushing down the side of the truck as the engines grew louder. Yang wore a determined scowl as she punched the excelerator, keen on the prospect of survival.

Those within the transport were thrown against one another, their pointless stop finally over. The vehicle roared louder than usual, hiding the sounds of the outside world bar the clangs of things hitting the underbelly of the tanky truck. Their confusion turned to surprise when one of the doors unexpectedly opened and Umber all but swung himself inside, a tad slow to shut the door. In that moment, the sounds of an angry flood screamed at them and something flew past the teens and dug itself into the back wall with a loud thud.

Coco's eyes were wide as she slowly dug out the object that had missed her head by inches, holding the object in her palm. Her teammates peeked over her shoulder to find their leader grasping a shattered bullet, made entirely of rusted brass. All eyes turned to the dapper teen silently panting on the cold floor, wanting answers and fast.

"Ladies and gentlemen, those I despise, are you ready for today's dose of high octane violence?" He asked casually before sitting up and turning to Agent Ashley, who was blankly staring at the boy. "Time to bear arms, agent." The dapper teen strained, obvious disappointment in his voice. She marched over to the boy while the group stood around like lost ducklings.

"What have you done?" She snapped at the boy.

"Whatever makes you assume I had anything to with that?" He sarcastically retorted with a thumb towards the door as he climbed to his feet, moving towards the light switch with a purpose. He flicked the face open and revealed more than just a simple light switch. Dozens of buttons and switches stared at the boy, who pushed a switch and activated a series of hidden flood lights that directed themselves at the door. The next caused a pair of blast doors to lock behind the lights, only a slit exposed them.

Umber clicked his neck and leaned next to the small firing slit, pulling out his apparently empty mag to replace it. "To sum up everything, we have picked up a horde of pursers that seemly feel no pain and are extremely dedicated to their goal. Not to mention they are essentially immortal savages." The container went quiet besides a snort of angry amusement from Coco.

"Sure, what about the unicorns? Can we kill them? What if the leprechauns throw golden coins?" She sneered, getting a reflective glare from Umber. "Do you think this is time to joke round? You expect us to believe we are fighting zombies?"

"Perhaps. If you could elaborate? I am unfamiliar with that term 'zombies'." The dapper teen said sincerely, she gave another grunt.

"Uh, you know. Rise from the ground, unkillable unless you shot the head, made of rotting flesh to eat brains?" She replied with a smirk.

"Honestly, I do not believe they consume brains." Umber stated truthfully, wiping the smile off the beret wearing girl's face. If the most serious person didn't deny it, then the threat was there. "Agent, would you do the honors and push that red button?" He hummed, turning to look at the teen, who quickly turned and tore off the thin plastic cover before hitting it with a grunt.

There was a loud cracking noise before a loud pop echoed around the enclosed space, a few seconds later the two far doors exploded off their hinges; once more filling their ears with roaring engines. By either luck or stupidity, the doors smashed a pair of grey skinned men from their jury rigged motorcycle. The large front wheel held a hovering crystal of pulsing light, while the back while was seemingly torn from a child's tricycle. The unstable source of Dust suddenly ignited and blew apart both the bike and the riders, only for the space to be filled by more makeshift bikes.

The vehicles only grew more intimidating when the group saw their drivers. Cracked grey skin, bones poking from skin and rotting flesh hanging from ribs. Blood once spilt over a decade ago now stuck to their monstrous forms. Their scrap metal armour held by belts, rope and barbed wire, was clearly rusted and savagely crafted. Then came their screams. Guttural, tormented, and bloodcurdling.

"What the fuck!" Who let out the cry, Ashley didn't know, but it was the psycho who started to fire at the horde. Three of the demons were thrown from their mounts before the others let out a roar and exchanged fire with both the teen and those that joined him, forcing the agent to join the symphony of fire.

She peaked through the firing slit and picked off a rider, sending the bike to swerve into another and set off a violent explosion of Dust. A quick glance to her side saw a black mask staring at her, maybe with a hint of respect or awe hiding underneath. Her eyes flicked back to find a bright object flying into the truck. The agent could only raise her arms to defend herself from the molotov.

She felt no burn against her Aura and skin, lowering her arms just to see the dapper teen fling the explosive out the slot; from the far end of the truck on his back. The molotov hit of of the closest bikers and sent them flying to the back of the pack, allowing another wave of pursuers to move forward. More molotovs, grenades and even a grey rider readied a spear to launch at the truck. They threw their weapons all at once, even with Umber picking off the explosives as they came it was obvious that they were doomed.

Suddenly, the wave of weapons were thrown directly at their owners at a supersonic speed. The group watched in shocked awe as a wave of fire covered the road behind them, giving them some breathing room as the horde swerved around their former allies scattered along the ground. Ashley turned to find a dazed and bruised boy standing next to her, his orange hair dripping with sweat. He gave her a smile before collapsing.

"Damnit, Fox!" Coco cried as she and a few others rushed to the boy's aid, leaving a massive gap in their defense. Umber shared a glance and they both leapt to the front, surprising the boy who found Velvet standing next to him. She was firing away at one of the monsters, knocking him from his bike thanks to the force alone. Another pursuer made no attempt to move around the downed rider and drove right over them, giving the faunus another target.

The masked teen next to her heard the click of her pistol and dangled a long magazine in front of her face, she took the smmo and quickly reloaded. "Fancy seeing you here." Umber said casually, taking the flesh from another rider's head with a burst from his rifle.

"A-am I doing something w-wrong?" She asked nervously, still firing away.

"Not at all, in fact you have surprised me." The boy remarked. "Thought you'd have rushed to the aid of your teammate, seems I was wrong."

"T-they need me more me here, where I actually help." She said, almost trying to convince herself.

"Indeed they do, excuse me." Umber said before slowly pushing the collapsed towards the back of the truck with his foot, all while continuing to firing at the incoming monsters. This action wasn't received well, though

An angry grip pulled the boy by his suit's lapels and shoved him against the wall, Coco was already raising a finger to start her lecture. Unfortunately, a stray bullet effortlessly cut her Aura and smashed into her flesh. Eyes wide, she fell to the cold floor and held the open wound just shy of her collarbone. Those not distracted by Fox were now drawn to the gasping girl, while the dapper teen adjusted his collar and looked at the beret wearing teen.

"Unfortunate nobody could have foreseen this." He said coldly, wasting little time to recognise the non life threatening wound and took his position at the defensive line to continue firing. The rabbit faunus, however, chose that moment to turn and find her leader hauling herself onto a seat.

Umber was forced to look at the wounded girl by Velvet's hand, making it unquestionably his problem. He let out a sigh and nodded at the worried teen, dropping his rifle into her trembling hands.

"B-but h-how-?" Velvet started to stammer, the masked teen waved a hand at her as he walked towards the back of the truck.

"Same premise as before, just a larger scale. Please hold down the fort with the agent." With that and another button push on the board, a small hatch opened into the main cabin. The sudden surprise appearance of the dapper teen surprised the stressed driver and petite passenger. "Medical kit if you please?" He asked politely, waiting for Neo to toss the small bag over the seat.

"So how's it going back there?" Yang asked, eyes locked ahead. The boy grunted.

"I'm requesting a med-kit, should answer your question on its own." Umber answered, little more than annoyed at the pointless question. The blonde checked over her shoulder to find Ashley setting off a distant explosion, Velvet being thrown about by the recoil from his rifle and Coco covered by her own blood.

"The fuck happened to Coco?!" She shouted at the dapper teen, eyes glowing with confusion and caution.

"She practiced her idiocy at the wrong time." Came the blunt answer.

"Last time I hear, being an idiot doesn't, I don't know, cause you to suddenly gush blood!" The blonde snapped at the boy.

"I do blame myself, it seems to be a phenomenon that follows me around." With that he disappeared into the back to explain what a clotting agent was to the leader of CFVY. A moment later, Coco was swearing and screaming; surprising Yang with new curses she'd never heard before. The blonde was about to shout again until her eye caught something. She yelled in surprise when the passenger window shattered and the windscreen was pierced by a short spear, flying straight through and hitting a tree. Yang snapped her gaze out the broken window and over Neo to find one of their pursuers riding next to them, their warped mask hiding their glee as the monster pulled another spear behind its head to throw.

"Shit!" The red eyed blonde cried and ducked, feeling the weapon zoom over her head. "Umber! We have a big problem!" The dapper teen looked up from bandaging to see a third pole slam into the ceiling. Without releasing the pressure on Coco's wound, his other hand fished under the seat cushion and dug out another handgun from within. Umber dropped the firearm to yank a large stick magazine from the seat to shove into it, promptly cocking it and throwing it into the cabin.

The weapon flew into Neo's lap, instantly appearing in her hand as she gazed at it. She'd seen the movies, how hard could shooting blind be? Another spear smashed into the roof and set the petite woman into motion, poking the gun out the window and spraying lead at the monstrous rider. The gun bounced in her grasp, wildly spitting empty bullet casings and shaking in her hand. Only thirteen seconds of firing and the gun was empty, clicking loudly as the woman cautiously poked her head around the window frame.

The grey demon was patting their body and searching for any bullet holes. Somehow it was completely free of wounds, even if it meant nothing to the beast. Though the bike had holes punched through its scrappy hide, the only thing affected by Neo's efforts.

"How?" Was all Yang said as she checked her passenger's handiwork. Feed up, the petite woman scowled and launched the weapon at the biker. By some newfound coordination or luck, the projectile hit the hovering crystal, knocking it just enough for the jaws that worked the bike to catch it. The masked monster's eyes widened before the entire cycle exploded and spat body parts of both metal and flesh everywhere.

Neo turned to give the blonde an egotistical smirk and a proud look. "Yeah, you couldn't even hit it when you were trying." She grumbled just as the dapper teen poked his head back into the cabin.

"We appear to be clear on our end." He informed the pair, tossing the medical kit back into the cabin and clipping his rifle's sling together over his chest. The mask looked up to find both pairs of eyes on him, and not on the growing shadow on the road in front of them. Umber didn't have time to raise the alarm before the shape was thrust into the engine, encasing itself and shredding the metal within.

The truck was torn from the ground by the sudden intrusion and stop, flipping the back over the front in a horrific forward roll. By some miracle, Umber had managed to position himself to shove the doors open and skid over the wet grass outside. Thankfully, he had more than enough experience jumping from crashing vehicles, seems any vehicle he gets into meets the same fate.

His travel across the ground, slamming into the dirt over and over again, finally stopped. He got to his feet to see the transport make one last roll before falling still. Appearing more like an overturned turtle than a vehicle. The masked teen's first thought was on how hard it would be to collect the resources to replace his truck, the second was that his objectives were still inside the truck. Not to even start on the hostile environment they were trapped in. He rushed towards what was left of his truck, taking in the area it had landed in. Unfortunately, it had stopped smackdab in a large clearing, right in the middle of every possible killzone. Made worse when his eye caught sight of two jeering pursuers taking off, no doubt to collect more forces to rush back to the destruction.

Umber slid down the back of a small stream and waded through swiftly, climbing towards the overturned cabin. Hushed voices drifted towards him, the only sound in the dead forest. Not a single bird or insect made their presence known, which made one larger problem. The fact that the mythical suit of armour that had flipped them was nowhere to be seen, not that it mattered as the dapper teen forced the passenger's door open.

Yang was struggling with her belt while Neo had her arms crossed and was pouting, both inverted in their seats and held upright by their belts. At least they were more or less intact, thanks to their Aura and the airbags in the dashboard. The petite woman instantly noticed the boy as the blonde next to her swore and pulled at her seatbelt. Umber held out his hand and a cloud of mist flew from his sleeve, leaving an abyssal black knife in his palm. The ice-cream woman snatched the blade and leaned over, immediately slicing through Yang's belt.

"What the-!" The teen dropped and slammed onto the roof with a grunt, landing on her back with an unamused look. At least she had some Aura left, something that Umber could at least appreciate. The blonde glanced up at the seats and saw the woman quietly giggling to herself, still holding the knife. Yang threw a punch at Neo's belt and unclipped it, dropping her onto the roof. The dapper teen dissipated the knife before any more trouble could be made, watching as the pair wrestled around on the roof. Brutish punches directed at a flexible dancer.

The masked teen sighed and picked up the discarded medical bag before dragging Yang off the other petite woman, shoving the kit into her hands and pushing her towards the container. His mask returned to Neo after holding her back from returning to the fight, the petite woman had an eyebrow raised.

" **You're a little manipulator."** She signed with a smirk, the boy shrugged.

"Known me for for days, so this surprises you how?" He asked, pulling her to her feet. "And for the future, refer to me as an 'outcome engineer' rather than manipulator." Umber hummed sarcastically, waiting for Neo to grab her weapon only to hear a cry from the overturned container.

"Umber!" The dapper teen marched around the truck and immediately gave an order.

"Agent, take Ms. Violette, Ms. Sustrai and Ms. Scarlatina, and you over there. Set up security, be on the lookout." He spoke calmly and stepped aside for the four girls and Neptune to walk past, the boy wearing a concerned expression. "Everyone else of able body asist and free the wounded."

Neo was by no means surprised at the sheep following the teen's orders, but Emerald and that military chick doing so was a surprise. They were meant to rival the bimbo's stubbornness, guess they understood the situation. Meanwhile, she could've give a damn about the others. Though she still made her way down to find Umber working with his magic bag of meds on the massive boy in green; remembering his name was Yats or something.

"-he bear hugged us when we crashed, his Aura took most of the damage bouncing around in this death trap." The beret wearing girl explained, holding onto her neck as she patted the giant teen on the back. Neo caught the masked boy's eye and smiled wickedly at him.

" **You are one of those doctors that believe in euthanasia, right?"** She signed, getting a tilt of the head from Umber.

"I'm no doctor, and it is only a broken arm." He responded coldly, turning back to the injured boy. "Go catch a bird if you want to see death." With that, Umber returned to resetting Yats' broken arm. The ice-cream woman's attention was pulled to the stretchers that the other hunters were slowly and gently taking from the truck, taking them to the grass outside.

The pair were lowered in a way that was similar to a parent taking a sleeping child to their bed, though in this case it was useless. Umber moved from the giant's side to kneel next to the stretchers, checking if their conditions had deteriorated any further. Fortunately, Octavia was in good condition, Scarlet was the opposite.

The metal bar that had torn through his lower abdomen was clearly deadly, even so, the other teens had wasted time hauling a corpse. The dapper teen shook his head and stood, putting his hand out to stop Sage from buckling under his wounded leg. He was determined to see his friend as he opted to literally crawl to his side, letting out a weeping sob and hiding his face with his hand.

The comontion attracted the attention of his blue haired friend, his eyes widening as he truely saw his teammate's state. His rifle fell from his grip, the clattering noise was joined by a single word.

"No." Neptune stated firmly, eyes cold as tears threatened to fall. The dapper teen saw him approaching and knew his intention, thus stood between the crestfallen teen and his friend's corpse. "No, Sage." Came another hopeless cry, eyes never drifting from the body.

"Return to your post." Umber ordered, placing his arm against the boy's chest and grasping his shoulder. Neptune still showed no response and attempted to shove past the heartless teen, only to get spun around and locked face-to-face with the masked teen. "You do not have the luxury to grieve, however you can prevent more from ending in the grave. By doing. As. I. Say."

There were few that agreed with Umber's point of view, while a couple had a neutral standing. The teen had lost his entire team in a blind of an eye, the blue haired boy had lost only two across a few weeks. Though most were siding with Neptune, supporting the emotional teen in their own way. Only, some did this to get back at the masked boy. Either way, whoever supported who wouldn't matter, as a tire came flying directly at Nebula.

Immediately, the three other sentries opened fire at the unseen foe; finding themselves catching a large crate. From behind the overturned truck came a hail of ammo crates, seats and a few personal belongings from their unseen enemy. Then the entire cabin of the vehicle was thrown aside, revealing a hulking knight of black steel; its body rattling with angry grating screams. It towered above them, its hollow hand wrapped around a large rapier.

While the group were almost entirely frozen, Umber let out a soft chuckle. "Well, we seem to have accumulated another problem." The Centurion stomped forth with uneasy, unnatural steps with its weapon pulled back. "Spread out!" Came the bark before the thin blade shot forwards at the dapper teen, narrowly missing his ducking form. It sprung back into the knight's shoulder, only to shoot out again.

The boy used his cane to slide past the piercing point before sprinting at the lumbering beast, who sent its other arm to swing at the teen. Umber ducked the blow, just to watch in shock as it changed directions and came down upon him; forcing the dapper teen to simple dive to the side with a grunt.

He landed on his back and immediately found the same gauntlet flying at his mask, the boy rolled to the side to feel the abyssal hand slam into the dirt next to his head. Neo ran at the knight as it continued its attempts to crush the boy, sliding between its pillar-like legs and using her parasol to hook a piece of armour from one leg. The supernatural armour collapsed onto the empty space, immediately noting the missing chunk of itself.

Something pulled at the petite woman, suddenly yanking her towards the Centurion by the missing plate; unfortunately flinging her past the beast. Umber took the lack of attention to get to a distance, turning to lay fire upon the armoured suit. Only two shots were fired before he was thrown across the clearing by a ever so familiar gauntlet. With the annoyance down, the hollow armour twisted around to find a firing squad glaring at him.

"Light the bastard up!" Yang shouted, joining the group in unleashing a flood of firepower upon the knight. The Centurion's upper body was jerked and split by the force, sending its torso toppling back as its helmet was pinged by precise fire. Even with its solid foundation, it was forced back towards the wrecked truck.

The crowd charged the armour with weapons raised for close quarters combat, intending to shove the beast back even more. With their numbers, the Centurion's weapon was ineffective, unable to single out a target before another took its attention. Two hunters made their way over to the downed Umber, with the larger boy grasping his twisted arm. Yats leaned down to peer at the boy.

"Is he dead?" He asked, watching as his leader kicked the dapper teen's shoulder. Almost immediately, Umber snatched his nearby cane and shot back towards the fight.

"Guess not." She muttered with an annoyed frown. When the masked teen joined the others, he found them tiredly pounding away at the knight, managing to keep it against the truck at least. While the plan to keep it there, Umber pulled a grenade from his back and tossed it under the beast's legs. White foam burst from the cylinder and crawled up the black plates, hardening completely around the armour's lower torso. The dapper teen leapt onto the rock-hard surface and right onto the suit's twisting shoulders, dropping another two grenades down its back.

From within the canisters, blasting heat erupted between the Centurion and the overturned truck. Metal melted and bubbled, the compounds within the grenade merging hollow armour and vehicle into a makeshift prison. To add insult to injury, Umber extended his rapier and shoved it into the Centurion's throat. "Xiao Long, hit it!" He shouted as he ducked under a wild swing.

The blonde took a hesitant running start, jumped into the air and smashed the cane's handle. With the sound of a thunderbolt, doubled with the punch and the heat, the hilt disappeared into the hollow suit; pinning the helmet to truck and effectively halting most if not all of its movements. Besides the arms of course, which took one last swing at Umber and Yang as they ran out of the armour's range, joining the hunter cohort.

"So, ah, what now?" One of the girls asked, watching the angrily shaking and swiping monstrous suit.

"Wel the way I see it, the act of not destroying it guarantees another encounter and further inconveniences." The dapper teen hummed. "Granted, I am unaware if it will end the entire problem."

"Either way, you have a plan, right? To destroy it?" Ashley spoke with a disgruntled snort, keeping her rifle leveled at the Centurion.

"First and foremost, that must must be the only pleasant statement regarding me. Second, are you suggesting you know my thoughts?" The pair glared at each other until the agent turned away. "However, you aren't half wrong, though calling it a plan is a step too far. Perhaps a working theory."

His hand appeared from his pocket with a simple silver coin, one of which that nearly nobody had encountered before. "Heads or tails?" Umber regretted his question as every teen gave their answer at once, thankfully Neo appeared from the crowd.

" **Shove that coin up your ass."** She signed with a scowl, obviously mad thanks to the fact she was seemingly forgotten after being tossed by the hollow armour.

"Tails then." The masked teen hummed calmly, flipping the coin before catching it and planting it on his forearm. Many of the hunters leaned forwards to see the result only for the teen to slip the object into his pocket. "Plan B, time for an additional course of action." His scroll was soon held in his hand, a big red button hovering on the screen. It was promptly pressed and Umber glanced up at the trapped Centurion.

Something clanged against metal, appearing to be a small blue cylinder when it fell from its neck. Nothing much happened until a single surge of sparks shot from the container, all colour draining from the object.

Suddenly, Umber's scroll exploded with electrical sparks and shutting it down immediately. All over the dapper teen and agent's bodies, parts of their equipment joined with the shut down. The blonde yanked her own scroll from her pocket to find it similarly dead, completely blank. It lasted only two days after the masked boy gave it to her, and he was the one to destroy it. She was ready to yell at the boy before Ashley beat her to it.

"How the fuck did you get a bloody EMP?!" She shouted with pure rage filling her voice. "Is this a habit? Do you carry around a fucking weapon of mass destruction in your cane on the daily?! How selfish can you be? You had us all risking our lives in Vale for what? To waste that highly useful weapon against that?!" The agent screamed, flinging her finger at the still struggling and unaffected armour.

Umber took a moment to shake his head and pat his mask before answering. "Once again, agent, you are blind. With the logical choice eliminated, a less surgical alternative can be tested." His voice was more muffled than before, the power surge blasting whatever sat in his reflective visor. The dapper teen crouched next to one of the many scattered boxes and punched in another lengthy password, sliding the lid off and hauling one of four disposable rocket launchers; his 'less surgical alternative'.

He took a knee after waving off the oblivious hunters from behind him, removing the risk of losing Aura and limbs from the backblast. The rocket popped from the launcher and smashed right into the centre of the knight's exposed chestplate, leaving a gentle mist trail. The Centurion quaked and shuddered, flinging its gauntlets in an attempt to kill the growing annoyance. Sadly, another launcher fired and covered the entire suit with black smoke,

"Is that it?" Gwen muttered from the huddled group, watching the smoke dissipate, revealing their foe in ruin. The upper torso had been ruptured and tilted over its legs, a great hole in what remained of its right side. Its helmet was crushed into itself, somehow leaving the dapper teen's cane intact. All eyes locked onto the rapidly pulsing crystal that peered from the open wound, twisting in the air with what appeared to be panic. Nevertheless, Umber raised his assault rifle and fired a single shot. It shattered the glowing heart, causing the arms and shoulders to drop onto the dirt.

The dapper teen walked over with his rifle still raised, though his caution was put to rest when he reached into the open metal hide with no consequences. His gloved fingers wrapped around a piece of chipped crystal and a shard of armour plate, intending to investigate the samples at a later date, soon finding their home in his breast pocket.

He felt a scorching pain before being suddenly thrown off balance, a loud and sharp crack filling the air. The dapper teen quietly thanked the stars for his thickened vest before twisting around and readying his assault rifle. "Cover. Now!" He barked at the top of his lungs and sprinted towards the creek bank, hopefully the others understood it was the only viable cover. Unfortunately, a trio of boys failed to get the message and were forcefully dragged into the ditch.

Bullets of scrap and Dust wizzed overhead as they dashed down the bank, the masked boy following with a returning spray of rounds. His feet hit the cold water and he ducked, moving across the stream towards the other group of hunters. They were taking the smart road and keeping themselves low and out of danger, even if it was their first firefight they were thinking mildly straight.

Of course, they were still clumped together and had to be taught hard lessons. Thus, Umber pulled a round, brightly coloured grenade from his pocket and flicked the pin. "Attention." Came his call call before he tossed the strange explosive at the feet of the group, causing the teens to scream and crawl over each other to get away from the object. Then a little pop came from the cylinder, confusing the already panicked teens.

"If that was a live grenade you would all be nothing but blood and chunks of flesh, no thanks to your atrocious spacing. Now stay low, spread out and return fire only on my command." Umber ordered, watching the group scattering around the bank in small groups. Soon, among all the chaos and wild screaming of their foes, Umber leaned against the sand and calmly took it all in. Seemingly immersed in the sounds of battle, his moment of calm would end as an angry blonde approached him.

Yang was stomping towards him, ignoring his raised finger. She opened her mouth to receive the same finger to her lips, her eyes were set ablaze and she slapped the offending digit from her face. "There are more than enough riflemen, armed with break, pump and bolt action weapons, to take your head off in twenty ways." The dapper teen stated, glaring at the girl. "Not mentioning the semicompitent marksman and incoming horde of monstrous men. Do listen to my orders, Ms. Xiao Long."

The boy moved his jacket aside to show the small scrape on his chestplate, courtesy of their pursuers, right over his heart. The blonde gave Umber a surprised look, caught off guard by the quick identification of firearms.

"You mean to tell me that you can tell all that by the sounds of their guns?" She asked carefully, getting a head tilt from the teen. He was no doubt wearing a very irritated frown under his mask.

"It almost seems like I am well skilled, experienced, in my highly competitive profession." His voice was cold as he flicked his wrist, a newly created metal rod sliding into his palm. Umber attached a mirror to the end of the bar and raised it slightly, using the reflection to scan the treeline. Soon, the glint of a scope hit the reflective plate, the marksman with an extremely jury rigged sniper rifle; made from wood, pipes and a telescope.

The dapper teen dropped the rod and pulled his own rifle onto his lap, swiftly taking bits and pieces from it and changing them for more effective means of killing his target. The blonde sitting next to him watched with wide eyes as the assault rifle became a high powered sniper rifle like weapon, catching sight of a much larger bullet being loading into the weapon. His skill and speed was clearly built deep into his mind, he could probably modify his weapon effectively in his sleep.

It reminded Yang of Ruby, down to him even hugging his weapon and slowly inhaling and exhaling was an act she used to do. She still does before doing extremely and ridiculously long shots, the blonde was pretty sure she zoned out at the explanation. Her reminiscing gave her another reason to thank General Ironwood for taking Rubes and not herself, if not then she and the Ice Queen would be in her shoes. Suddenly, ten booming shots tore her from her memories, finding Umber standing and slightly jerking back with each shot.

He dropped and began to reassembling his assault rifle, looking up and calling out. "Return fire!" Their little crew obeyed and unleashed hell upon their monstrous foes. Yang turned back to the boy.

"You got that guy?" She asked as a particularly loud scream was cut short.

"Him, along with a pair of riflemen and a small part of the horde now rushing us." The masked teen paused. "And one who was attempting to load a rocket propelled grenade into a bamboo shoot right next to group of his allies. Unfortunately, another problem has been born. Reinforcements are approaching the ends of our little ditch, ten minutes and they will be all over us. Their approach from the treeline makes our cover into a proverbial barrel full of fish."

Yang growled as the calm teen cocked his remade gun. "Let's get out of here then!" She snapped, only for the dapper teen to shake his head.

"Fleeing now means being cut down not ten feet from the stream." He stated calmly as even, enraging the blonde once more.

"Then where's your usual plan in that twisted head?" She hissed, getting a shrug in return.

"Well, I was hoping on you devising a superior plan by some off chance. Mine is not exactly the best." Umber admitted with a whisper of sorrow in his voice, still muffled slightly thanks to his previous plan. They both fell silent and stared at each other, waiting for the blonde to say something. "Fine. You will accompany the wounded and those light on their feet, you will make a dash to the treeline. I will be leading those who still have their heads on straight to draw the enemy fire. If by some miracle you make it, we will trade positions. You keep them occupied while we run."

His plan was simple and told firmly, making no attempts to sugarcoat it. The blonde nodded after a second, ducking as an explosion tore up the ground a few metres from the bank. "Well if it's all we got." She muttered and passed the plan onto Coco, leaving out the hopeless tone in her voice. Yang returned as the beret wearing girl continued to walk down the line, telling the crew the plan.

"I wasn't expecting you to take this at face value." Umber hummed.

"Well I did make a slight change to your plan, I'm staying to draw those bastards' attention." She stated in return, a determined look on her face. The dapper teen just shrugged.

"Your flexibility is truely astounding, it honestly amazes me." He remarked, confusing the girl with his praise.

"What?"

"Especially in the way you continue to shove your foot in your mouth and put your head up your ass." The boy snapped viciously, pointing a finger to the horde beyond the bank. "You have failed to remember, you are the target. We are little more than glorified cannon fodder to them, distractions."

"Then leave me here! I can draw their fire! Better to have one person die than a dozen!" Yang shouted, staring valiantly at the masked teen.

"Understand, Ms. Xiao Long. I have been attempting to complete your favour, only reason I still continue to do so is for your father's favour. Keeping you from death's door, hard to do unless I remain with you. So when our bodies fall cold, our flesh eaten according to Ms. Adel, your comrades will die the next time they encounter a fatal situation. Your heroic sacrifice would only seal their fate." The dapper teen explained in a mocking tone, watching the blonde think over his words.

"I'm staying." Yang responded, getting a sigh from Umber.

"As you wish." Her stubbornness was something that he aspired to have, perhaps if he lives he'll take steps to match her stubborn nature. Either way, he still called the split groups together. Hunters, criminals and the single government agent stood uneasily as gunfire spat over their heads, sceams tearing from the bush reminding them of their unnatural foe.

Finally, the dapper teen told his less than watertight plan. "You, you, you and you will be joining Ms. Xiao Long and myself in holding this position. We will cover your retreat until you reach the treeline and dig in, then you will return fire to cover our inevitable retreat." He ended with a hum, looking around the faces staring at him. Only one person was seemingly against the plan, with her rotary minigun smoking slightly, Coco pushed her glasses down slightly.

"So ah, why am I not in the front team, hun?" She asked with an annoyed raised eyebrow.

"For good reason. That weapon is useful for supportive or suppressive roles, it won't stop all of the grey men. Not to mention if worse comes worst you are the most respected leader here, all decision making would fall to you. If that doesn't convince you, then your clipped wing should." The dapper teen gestured to Coco's wound, the girl hissed and held it almost on cue.

"Now if any of the defense team wishes to join the retreat, I will not hold it against you." He caught Neptune sigh in relief, one of the selected to remain in the ditch. "I will point out that for every person who flees to the back, the chance of survival plummets." He once more looked around the crew, ignoring the gunshot that hit right next to his head. Nobody backed down, though one did surprisingly step forwards.

"In that case, I'll stay too." Cardin said, voice saturated with self doubt. Umber snorted in disapproval.

"How could you possibly expect to lay down covering fire with a mace?" He asked sarcastically, the other boy quickly piped up.

"You can give me one of your guns!" The old bully exclaimed like a delighted child, getting another snort room the masked teen.

"If we could spare a few hours and a few crayons I'd gladly explain how that is the most foolish idea ever conceived. Now does anyone have any infant-esc ideas?" His heartless question had no answers. "No? Good." With that, he flicked four grenades over the bank and across the grass. Black plumes of smoke bellowed into the sky, covering their rear and the treeline that was their saving grace. "Go." Umber ordered and pointed to the black smog, sending the majority of their crew over the bank. The last Yang saw of her friends was Yats disappearing with a stretcher bound Octavia over his shoulder, then nothing. It was up to them now.

The dapper teen set himself between two rocks, resting his rifle against the stone surface and his knee. His hand pulled his flash hider into his pocket, well aware that he was doing it only to drag attention towards him. Not that he'd admit it. After all, he'd rather be shot at then have to dig bullets out of weeping huntsmen. Umber looked to his side to find a certain petite woman next to him, cross legged and making a tower of rocks on the river bed. Neo was suffering the same setback as Cardin would if he was here, the lack of a ranged weapon.

Nevertheless, Umber decided that she would be invaluable when they were overrun. An explosion rocked the dirt, knocking the woman's tower over in a clatter. She pouted and looked up at the dapper teen.

" **I would die for an ice cream right now, hell, a dairy product in general."** Neo signed with a frown, getting a chuckle as Umber slid one of his dwindling supply of magazines into his weapon.

"Using that metaphor at this time is extremely inappropriate, considering we are in the middle of a firefight." The dapper teen stated between the short, barking bursts of his assault rifle. His weapon clicked empty and he dropped out the mag, only to get an unexpected surprise in the form of a squeal, causing him to fumble the new rounds. Umber turned to find an upside down Velvet with a petite woman smiling at him, spinning her parasol around her finger.

" **Look what I caught."** She signed with smiled, gesturing with the handle of her weapon towards the faunus' ankle. Neo had been watching the girl approaching their backs before running away then returning for the better part of two minutes, completely unseen by the usually perseptive boy. Her unease no doubt coming from sheer fear of how the masked teen would react to her suddenly appearing at the front.

"What are you doing here, Ms. Scarlatina?" Umber asked calmly, giving the shaking teen a tilt of his head.

"W-w-well I-I want- needed t-to he-" Velvet's babbling was cut short by the boy's hand appearing in her face, an offering palm ready to help her upright. She took it and nervously got to her feet.

"Five words or less, try again." He said softly, waiting for the girl to speak again.

"I-I stayed to help." The faunus surprised herself by the statement, she wasn't expecting to actually say that. "Sorry." She added meekly. Umber took a second to think on her words, quickly deciding that a fight wouldn't fix or improve the situation. Though it would give Neo her kicks.

"Apologizing is pointless, at least at the moment. For future reference, my decisions are made on variables. Most of which may not be apparent to you. So if you do decide to ignore or heed my words, insure you see all variables." The boy finished by pulling out three pistol magazines from his thigh holster, but instead of handing them off to the girl he pocketed them in an empty rifle ammo pocket.

He reached down and swiftly unclipped the holster from his leg, holding out to the stunned faunus. "As long as I have ammunition for my rifle, there's little need for this." Umber explained wisely, dropping the pouch into her waiting palm and returning to firing at whatever caught his eye. Leaving Velvet to struggle to wrap the gift around her own leg, with Neo staring over her with a mischievous glint in her mismatched eyes.

The woman's glare was known for unnerving even the toughest breed of criminal, so staring at the already on edge and anxiety ridden student was almost overkill in her books. Hell, the bunny faunus tripped on herself after attaching the holster and running from Neo's hateful eyes.

"If you are quite done, would you mind scouting out how much ground our friends have covered?" Umber asked as he slapped another stack of rounds into his rifle, catching the petite woman roll her eyes and shatter like glass. He adjusted his position in an effort to keep an eye on the girl as she appeared near the wrecked truck, only to catch the last of her glass shattering Semblance. Then a finger poked his shoulder and he found Neo wearing a smirk behind him.

" **Everyone who booked it is halfway to the treeline, and there's a pretty large boy band coming our way."** Came the smug report, getting an uneasy sigh from the dapper teen. Any flanking movement to hit the retreating teens would be finished by the time they reach the bush. Umber turned to order Neo to do something similar to what she did in the prison, though Agent Carmine slammed into the bank between them before he could speak.

"We are being flanked, we don't have long." She stated in a slightly more annoyed tone.

"I'm all too aware of this." The masked boy replied calmly.

"Well then, we should move!" She shouted at Umber, quite pissed with his usual attitude.

"That would leave both teams in shallow graves. We hold this line for as long as possible to give the others a chance." His words got an angry grunt from the agent.

"Like hell, if we sta-" Ashley's argument trailed off as the gunfire abruptly ended, leaving nothing but silence for a minute. The trio slowly peered over the dirt and spotted movement among the bodies spread across the ground. It was another grey skinned monster, with a scrapy crest made of nails across his makeshift helmet, standing with a massive rebar spear in its hands. The pursuer roared with a beastly rage before leveling a single finger at the ditch.

"Caenum latitare…. Perfugae!" It was a hissing, skin crawling voice that whispered from the throats of the dead. The crested monster was joined by a number of his own, all snarling and snapping at the stream and its defenders. Yang poked her head up, wearing mud in her hair and an irritated expression.

"What did you say?!" She shouted at the group, only to have the dapper teen answer for them.

"He called us cowards." Umber barked, slightly putting words into the grey man's mouth. Though at least now he knew who these stalkers were. "Ironic, since they hide from the bloodshed they so desperately want! You can talk, so you can listen! Face us like the men you were!" Barely a moment after his taunt, their monstrous foes roared at the group; weapons banging together in a fit of rage.

Both agent and petite criminal exchanged glances, quickly coming to the realization that expecting an answer to this situation was useless. Understandably, Neo got up onto the bank and raised both hands towards the horde, slowly flipped up both middle fingers before thrusting them to her groin with a wink. Without hesitation, the other two teens spat insults, threw gestures and generally pissed off the grey beasts.

Before long, more of their pursuers emerged from the trees, guns discarded for melee weapons. The horde's screaming and barking snarls grew into a deafening wave of terror. However, the two criminals and huntress didn't back down, finally forcing their anger to boil over. The last of the guns were tossed aside, then the grey men charged as one. The agent joined the others as the rest of the teens climbed up to meet them, a smirk on her face as she realized what the madman had done.

Using pride against logic, he warped the playing field to his advantage. Now close quarters combat was the only way to win. Ashley raised her rifle and flattened the lever against the stock, extending the barrel ad pressing a button on the side. Within seconds, her weapon had become a bladed, two handed staff.

The agent charged into the fray, leaving the perfectly calm boy to wait for his own target. The first was a screeching man with a fist wrapped with razor wire, unfortunately Umber remember only then that his cane was in the same condition as the Centurion. His head turned and watched the punch sail past his face before kicking off the grey man's knee and gripping the extended arm.

Without hesitation, his feet found themselves dug into the snarling maw and pushing against it. Finally, after the pair fell to the ground and the monster swung violently, the dapper teen snapped the arm and head with a loud crack. A new problem arose when another pursuer ran at him with a sharpened signpost.

Umber rolled back to let the downward swing decapitate his own friend then raised his rifle and fired two rounds into his neck, splattering the next foe with black blood. It did little to deter the glory-seeking monster as it swung a rusted and trashy scimitar with an unseen precision, only to have it blocked and shoved aside by the masked boy's arm. The beast barked as a swift punch hit his jaw, throwing a wild swing with his blade into the air that the boy simply spun around to end behind its back.

His rifle's stock snapped the monster's neck, instantly dropping it to the dirt so Umber could concentrate on every other grey man that wanted his blood. Corpses fell unmoving all around him, graced with single shots to the throat and forehead, clean and efficient. Soon, his rifle was taking out those around his objective and the faunus with the least close quarters experience, hopefully it wouldn't be for nothing.

His generosity was paid for in violence, as the boy was distracted with his allies, the pursuers charged his exposed back. Umber was forced to the ground by a savage hit to his caif, courtesy of a beast wearing a dusty, yellow mining helmet. Another's barbed 2x4 was raised to bash the boy's head in, a snarling grimace on its face Thankfully, Yang fired a shotgun shell into the monster's grinning face.

It stumbled slightly, changing the impact of where the plank would land. While he wouldn't be getting the broken collarbone like he was expecting, the hit would still hurt. The wire tore into his Aura-less ear, dragging down his head to ending at his shoulder. More scrapes covered his mask, with long and shallow cuts covering almost the entirety of his neck. Umber hissed in disappointment rather than pain, pain wasn't something that he registered as much nowadays.

His adrenaline lasted long enough for him to bash his weapon's stock into the snarling monster's shin, sending it toppling onto its chest and allowing Umber to fire a round into the work helmet monster in a swift kill. The plank wielding maniac raised his head, finding the dapper teen standing over its head with his rifle at the ready. The boy shoved the barrel of his weapon into the snapping maw and unleashed a hail of gunfire into its rotting body before lifting the corpse and turning the weapon on the pack of rage rushing at him.

The first bursts tore hunks of brain matter from its skull. Ten shell casings hit the ground, now the heat of the rifle was melting the flesh around the entry and exit holes in the quickly hollowing head. Ten more flew from the gun, the muzzle flash was igniting the eyes, mouth and ears of the skull. It was when the mag was nearing empty that the head exploded in a shower of bone and rotting flesh, the headless body letting gravity drag it to a flat grave with a wet thud.

Finally, his revenge secured, his morality bit him with agonizing pain bursting from his wounds. The dapper teen used a shaking hand to touch the torn area, finding even through his gauntlet the warm liquid still dripping. He brought his hand to his masked eyes, examining the dark crimson blood. At least it wasn't the bright red of a cut major artery. Umber sighed with relief as he dropped his empty magazine and reached into his side pouch for more ammunition, muscle memory working away.

Each rectangular box of ammo was empty. Every single one that his fingers touched was empty, causing the growing problem to grow larger. A particularly wild horde was lunging and sprinting at breakneck speed towards the unarmed teen, all just as bloodthirsty as the boy was a moment ago. The first to reach him swung both itself and a metal crowbar down, hitting the rifle that the teen brandished as a shield.

The bar's claw wrapped around the barrel before the beast was kicked off, slamming with such force to knock over three of his grey comrades. He had enough time to draw his familiar pistol to snap off four shots at the entangled beasts before moving onto the rest, flicking from target to target calmly. His last bullet cut right through one of the grey men's throats, unfortunately revealing a much more terrifying foe behind them.

It was a pursuer holding a double barrel shotgun, primed and raised at the masked teen. Umber had no choice but to fling his arms up and duck his head behind them, just in time to catch the buckshot. Fortunately, most of the shot ricocheted off his numeric weave, though some of the shrapnel made it through his exposed shoulder; right where his vest and shoulder plate failed to meet.

He suffered through the pain, not only for the reloading shotgunner but for the next monster who held a large sledgehammer. Umber aimed at the gunner to lure the hammer man in with a false sense of security, instantly dashing it when he flicked his wrist and sent the empty mag flying at the would-be builder.

While by no means his hurt the pursuer, it still confused the everloving hell out of them. That split second of confusion was enough to materialize a blade and dig it into the maniac's neck, dragging the body in front of the twin barrels that were aiming at his back. His makeshift shield jerked from the impact and Umber tossed aside the body, loading another mag into the jericho and firing two shots at the still standing monster.

Suddenly, a loud whistle sound from across the stream. The dapper teen turned after finding the severely diminished horde was distracted by the other defenders, finding a blue haired teen who was completely frozen standing just a few metres from the stream leading to the empty valley behind them.

The retreating force was nowhere to be seen, clear from the warzone, so he started barking orders. "Ms. Xiao Long, Scarlatina, Sustrai and Neopolitan, disperse! Agent Carmie and Mr. Vasilias, fall in now!" His call surprisingly set Yang and the others on their long and exposed run to the bush, followed by the agent who stood next to the dapper teen. But per usual, at least one thing had to fail, this time it was Neptune still standing next to the stream like a lemon.

"Fail in!" Umber repeated in a shout, shocking the boy to life.

"I-I j-just I-" It was just as the teen started to babble that he remembered his aquaphobia, though Umber hadn't released it was this severse.

"Go with the others, run!" The masked boy barked as more gunfire wizzed towards them, their chance at a clean getaway. "Tell me, agent, are two man firing tactics still taught in Atlas?" He asked Ashley with a nod towards the nearby truck. He didn't wait for an answer and stood up and spat a short burst to take the attention off the agent, watching out of the corner of his eye as she crossed the distance to the wreck. She hit the wheels and ducked, resting against her knee and firing at the hidden gunners.

Umber finished his mental count to fifteen and charged over the banks, closing the same distance the agent had. His hand scooped up a pair of discarded bags, his medical satchel and bug out bag, before he reached Ashley. Umber and the girl kept up the silent count to fifteen and switched roles, with the boy firing to cover the retreating agent.

It was the fifth leg that he found a complication, once again thanks to the blue haired boy. This time, he was on the ground with hands clamped to his head. His screams were drowned out by the gunfire all around them. The dapper teen turned back to the enemy and swiftly backed towards the boy, joining Agent Carmine who noticed the injured boy a second after the masked boy.

Umber knelt next to the pain crazed teen and attempted to pry his hands from his skull, his attempts at getting a diagnostic proving imposible. It wasn't until the other girl arrived did they manage to pry and hold his flailing arms did they see the wound, which was as bad as the teen was making it out to be. A bullet had hit his outer ear, right across his head until it burst from his brow, leaving a deep graze that showed the white of his skull; and the red of the blood that flooded out.

Ashley swore and released the boy to cover the pair, leaving Umber to deal with the crying teen. "Don't worry, Mr. Vasilias. It may have hit every nerve, but you'll live." The dapper teen said calmly and tore open the medical bag, yanking out an oxygen mask and attached canister. All with little to no intention to truely fixing Neptune's condition, only to get him functional enough to keep going.

Umber placed his knee on the blue haired boy's chest to stop the tossing and grasped a handful of his hair to yak his head back, finally the mask was put over the boy's mouth. Mist filled the mouthpiece and seemed to lessen the struggling, still, the masked boy gave another dose just in case. Neptune blinked few times and closed his mouth, wiping his bloody hands on his pants.

"You all good?" Umber asked the calm boy.

"Pretty good." Neptune answered casually.

"Right, then get moving." The dapper teen pointed out towards their destination, stepping off his chest to allow the teen to stand up and calmly jog off. Ashley chose that moment to look back, finding the suited teen clipping the satchel close and Neptune running off without a care in the world.

"What- what the fuck did you do to him?" She shouted at Umber, still exchanging fire with their unseen pursuers.

"Horse tranquilizer, just enough for a, well, horse." Came her answer, coming just as loudly as her question. The agent scoffed and the boy ran after the hyped up teen, turning on his heel after fifteen seconds to wildly fire at the treeline behind them. While the handgun was terribly inaccurate at this range, it still convinced those in the distance to duck in fear of his apparent supernatural skill at killing their own.

Unfortunately, even fear wasn't enough to hold back the growing horde of overwhelming combatants. Then the boy watched in annoyance as a red mist exploded from Ashley's thigh as a lightning fast bullet ignored both skin and Aura, sending the angry agent to the dirt with a grunt. To her credit, she didn't stop firing even as she hissed in pain.

Umber sighed and rushed to her side, sliding in front of the cursing teen and taking her weapon from her shaking hands. He finally put a number of accurate shots down the valley, only sparing a cold insistence for the girl on the ground to get up. Only to watch as a line of bullets appeared across her chest, starting at her shoulder and ending over her chestplate. All of this, combined with her fall, winded her to heap of gasping breath.

He continued to fire, catching a round to his chest just above his liver, though unlike the agent he shrugged it off. Then his left wrist caught a shot, knocking his borrowed rifle off target. It was when another bullet rebounded off his shin greave dangerously close to the crawling Ashley did he come to the conclusion that it would be only a matter of time until a projectile makes it through or around his armour.

Umber awkwardly reached down to reach for the girl and fired away, throwing the agent's arm around his neck. Both took a few steps back, though the dapper teen stopped and released his hold on her back to take aim once more. Ashley got the hint and righted herself while reaching into his jacket to take his jericho out, with the pair's proficient teamwork they less than graciously made it to the treeline.

Then Umber's sixth bullet of the day impacted his vest, causing the agent and criminal to tumble to the valley floor. The boy stood up instantly and raised Ashley's rifle to only take a large bullet to his mask, sending him back down onto the agent. His hands gripped his head in a futile attempt to stop the ringing in his ears, rolling off the girl and placing her forehead on the ground; assuming an upright fetal position.

All the dapper teen could see was stars, all he could hear was a harsh ringing in his ears. What initially woken him from his dazed state was the feeling of sharp glass shards sliding down his back, rubbing between his vest and the skin underneath. Suddenly, the sharp cutting feeling disappeared and he was kicked over. Two hands steered his face to the sky, if they were friend or foe Umber wouldn't know, his vision blurred and filled with stars. He was powerless either way.

Then a sharp slap seemed to return his eyesight and restart his disorganized brain, three small blotches of brown, white and pink filled his vision. The second slap brought the ringing to more reasonable levels, emptying his skull of the horrendous sound. By the forth he was able to catch Neo's hand before she had threw another slap, shoving her hand down and finding Velvet standing with a large, blue transparent shield in front of them. It almost looked like that Arc boy's shield, just enlarged.

The boy was about to voice his disappointment in the faunus' need to risk her life for theirs when he was turned around and thrown into the forest. Ashley was propped up against a tree, wincing as she held her wounded leg. Umber tossed the med-kit towards the girl, got to his feet and wandered through the bush; still clinging to her lever action through all that had occured.

Umber stumbled next to the beret wearing Coco just in time to see the petite woman and faunus shatter into a million pieces, his gaze scanned around for his blonde objective. Yang was standing a good five metres from the treeline with her hair and eyes glowing with pure hate and burning alight with great heat. Her gauntlets fired blast after blast of shotgun shells while the masked teen pondered how her Semblance could handle the Aura piercing bullets of the pursers

They were all going to die. It was only a matter of time and time was running out, his belief that at least he and the blonde would make it now realised as only a fantasy. Umber twisted around and found the bandaged agent, and the bag next to her. His fingers dipped inside the satchel and pulled out a defibrillator and a pair of syringes filled with clear liquid. The dapper teen reappeared behind the teen from the treeline, taking a moment to lean against a tree.

"Yang! Have I fulfilled my contract and returned you to your fellow students?" The boy shouted at the blonde, unusually loud. The girl snarled at the interruption of her killing frenzy.

"What?" She snapped.

"Just say no!" He barked at the girl, rubbing the defibrillators together.

"No?" Came her response, at last he had a loophole. Both contracts held by the Xiao Long's were still active and hold equal importance, then by some fucked up way even by his standards he could do what needs to be done and still complete both contracts. Without hesitation Umber approached the blonde and spun her around, planting one of the electrical plates above her heat and the other under her left arm.

"Do you trust me?" The dapper teen asked sternly.

"What? No!" Yang cried angrily, confused at where this was going. Umber found little solace in this, at least his betrayal was just a little conflicting. He activated the life saving machines and sent a single spark, stopping Yang Xiao Long's heart and killing her. His hands wrapped under her falling body, gently laying the blonde on the ground/

He checked her dead vital signs to confirm his handy work before preparing to finish the job, all in the beautiful silence free of gunfire. The masked boy soon found himself flung deep into the valley, forcing everything in his hands to drop. Borrowed rifle included.

His feet dug into the dirt and he skidded to a stop, slowly rising up and looking at his newest opponents. Four teens were standing between him and his kill, all dressed awfully familiar. The redhead in bronze armour, the scrawny blonde in a hoodie, a boy wearing green robes and a hammer wielding ginger. Umber was pretty sure that Juniper wasn't accompanying them, so this made things slightly harder.

"You should know this, even you can't fathom my reasons. I needed to reach that podium, the Vytal Tournament held significant importance. I had to ensure my victory, made a list of teams that stood to challenge my chances." The dapper teen raised a finger and leveled it at the team. "You were one of them. All your strengths, every weakness, all knowledge I had to collect. Now, we've strayed from the arena. Now, I abide by no rules. Now, I stand to lose nothing by not holding back."

"This is your first, your final warning. Unless the Moon starts to spew magic, you will lose this fight." Umber took a single step forward, watching as the hunters readied themselves. " _Get out of my way._ " His voice held nothing, simply an orderly calm that could've scared Grimm. Nora giggled.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen, buddy!" Her smile disappeared by the end, eyes narrowed and hammer raised. The boy sighed and nodded.

"Of course." His hand swung from behind his back, a holdout pistol in his palm. Two shots flew from the tiny barrel, hitting the grenade canisters of her hammer. Thanks to the surprise of his sudden attack, the rounds cleanly hit the explosives and set them off instantly. With such a high concentration of power, the girl was completely engulfed in the blast, fling her through the air without an ounce of Aura and smashing her head against a rock.

Ren, always closeby, caught the explosion just as much as his friend; thankfully only getting thrown to the ground nearby with a groan. Umber's hand shook and his gun was pulled from his hands by Pyrrha, just as expected with her Semblance.

She tossed the weapon aside and joined her comrades in charging the dapper teen, who reached inside his jacket to form a metal baton. His arm darted out and clobbered JNPR's resident ninja, sending him to join her close friend in a deep slumber. Jaune came next with a sloppy swing, doing little to the boy who ducked and sweeped his legs out from underneath him. While it would've been effortless to end the leader, Umber still needed him alive to both use him and his liability to the real challenge.

He stomped on the shielded arm, hearing a violent snap as his elbow and hand met suddenly. This seemed to enrage the only girl standing, his main intentions to show them their sloppiness now unease as he saw her eyes seemed to change; like a fire was brewing within.

Her arm and spear came down upon the masked boy, the force in the blow almost stunning him as he parried it to hit the blonde's head instead. Something was at play here that he couldn't see, that blow - even after it lost force from its change in trajectory - shattered the Arc's Aura. Was it that she got stronger? Impossible, not that quickly. Either way, that fire in her eyes disappeared as she looked at her teammate.

"Sorry!" She apologised, seeming to have forgotten she was in a fight. If he hadn't had a code to upkeep, the fight would've ended right there.

"Recommend you remove yourself, unless you wish for further harm?" He suggested, at least giving the boy a chance to run. Hearing his voice reignited the rage within the champion, who rushed forwards to push the teen back with her shield. Leaving Jaune to fall back, useless thanks to both lack of Aura and skill.

Umber rolled out from Pyrrha's charge, twirling on his heel to grab his combat axe from his back and to create a dagger in his hand. "Come now, ladies first." He hummed, catching the swift thrust from the girl and flicking it aside. The pair exchanged blows, parries and blocks in a show of skill and power. However, things weren't going as expected for the masked boy. He had prepared vigorously for the inevitable fight against the girl, but she was slowly and surely gaining the upper hand.

It was obviously to the boy that something significantly changed, with every blow that she blocked and every jab she got past him, she grew faster, stronger and extremely more dangerous. All while he struggled under even the lightest of blows, his eyes widened as the fire in Pyrrha's eyes legitimately grew larger and larger. Flames were exploding from the corners of her eyes.

With only a millisecond of his guard being lowered, the high functioning Nikos reacted instantly and violently disarmed the weapon of his weapons. Caught up with her success, she didn't notice the other dagger appear in his hand. Umber ducked and slashed the back of her knees with his Aura piercing knife, dropping the champion to her knees and giving the dapper teen the time needed to finish what he had started.

The boy charged towards the body of Yang, pausing only to retrieve his syringes and shove Jaune out of his way. Unfortunately, even with her wounded leg, Pyrrha was descending upon him with what could only be described as supernatural speed. Umber slid to the side of the lifeless blonde and swiftly jammed the long needle through her ribs, pushing down the syringe and administering the liquid directly into the still heart.

The last drips left the needle just as a red and golden spear was thrown over his head, dragging him off Yang and right into Pyrrha's body. Umber felt the heat radiating from the champion and knew it was something truely unnatural, perhaps even magical, inside her. His musings were cut short when he saw the fiery eyed girl raising his own axe above her head.

Umber's eyes closed under his mask, knowing the weapon was on an express trip down to his head. Only, it would never end his life. Jaune rushed forth and grabbed Pyrrha's arm, getting a furious glare in return. His face, full of pure fear and terror, tore the champion back to reality. She looked between the axe and the dapper teen she held, deciding to take a less life threatening alternative, and thwacked the boy with the hilt of the axe. Hopefully, it was enough to knock him out. Otherwise, it would be extremely unlikely Umber would ever awake.

 **Latin translations to the best of my abilities.**

" **Tu vivus? Tu mortem?" - "Are you living? Are you dead?"**

" **Tu loqui lingua?" - "You speak the language?"**

" **Quantum?" - "How many?"**  
" **Treeesss" - "Threeee"**

" **Mores pretium nihl!" - "Manners cost nothing!"**

 **"Caenum latitare…. Perfugae!"** \- " **Lurk in the mud! Deserters!"**

 **Now that's it for a little while folks, until I write number 41 at least. Oh right, yeah, I thought it would be only forty but my friend gave me the Declaration of Independence, so I had to split it like this. Either way, the next chapter will round up everything. Hope you've enjoyed this Ice Age length hiatus. Cheers.**


	34. SALM: A New Divide

**Now, a warning in advance which I will expand upon at the end. A couple things in this chapter may not make too much sense, my fault as I had little idea where I would actually go when I started. So, to make up for my dumbfuck bamboozlement, I will be rewriting the earliest chapters to the latest ones to make an actual story. Anyhow, enjoy the shortish chapter.**

Once again, the stone chambers held a counsel. Three men and their mistress all sat around the same black table, all in wait for their newest and most crazed member to arrive. Even Tyrian was shivering at the thought of seeing the madman again. The moustached doctor let out a sigh and looked at his watch, eying the next hour coming ever closer, marking the second hour to pass.

"Must we continue to wait for our… ally, Mistress?" Watts asked the pale woman, getting a raised eyebrow in return.

"Come, Watts. He is one of us, we will hear him just as we hear each other." Salem answered calmly, giving firm look to her subordinate.

"Apologies Mistress, but his call for a meeting was hours ago. Personally, I find his disrespect of our time is insulting." The good doctor remarked, getting a quiet giggle from the crazed faunus squatting in his seat.

"You should be thankful, I think the less we see of _him-_ " The man hissed the word, then chuckling again like it never happened. "-the better." He soon cowered under the glare of his goddess, glancing down and muttering to himself. Salem turned her eye to the large man next to her, arms crossed and eyes locked with the table.

"Do you have anything to add, Hazel?" The man grunted and turned his gaze up.

"Nothing, Mistress." He rumbled, getting a nod from the witch. Again, the table went silent as the wait for Chirpy, or Slate, continued. Watts opened his mouth to complain, only to shut up when he and the table heard a distant sound. The sound of rapidly approaching footfalls and screeching wheels. The doctor winced as he heard a sudden bang echo down the halls, followed closely by a string of swearing, cursing and other noises.

"Guess the wait is over." Watts murmured, turning towards the doors with a frown. Slowly, but surely, the footsteps and screeching noises grew ever closer. Suddenly, the doors were pushed open by the man himself, grunting all the while. The moustached doctor smirked and opened his mouth to sneer at the man, only to be interrupted by Chirpy rushing out of the room.

Watts blinked in confusion before turning to Salem, finding an amused and curious smirk on her face. Chirpy reappeared, joined by a horse drawn forklift, and entered the chambers with a victorious smile on his goggled face.

"Vive la Masta!" He cried with a great cheer, waving with a cupped hand at Tyrian, sending him into another shaking fit. "I come with great news, friends!"

"Wonderful." The doctor drawled, catching a grunt from the huge Hazel.

"Eh shut up, Doc. I know where you live." The erratic man snapped with a bark of laughter, launching off his chariot and landing next to its stead. He gave it the bony horse a pat along the noise, cooing as the old beast shuddered. Slowly, Chirpy slipped a party hat onto its skull and twirled over to the table. "So boys and lovely lady, who's up for a story?"

"While I have patience, our associates have less. We all want to hear-" The pale witch's eyes snapped to the collapsing horse before returning to Chirpy. "-what we have all been waiting for." At the woman's narrow tone, he twitched and crossed his arms.

"Yes, Ma'am. The package has reached the target, providing the expected results." Slate answered in a dull voice, turning and marching with his hands folded behind his back. He stood by the forklift controls and lowered the arms, returning to the table with a firm expression. "The Atlesians have reported on the attack, the panic will spread to the other kingdoms quickly." Salem smiled with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Good, I assume this is the proof?" She asked with a wave of her hand at the vehicle and its cargo, an old fashioned television set. The goggled man's mouth turned to a snarl.

"Chirpy… decided that this was the best way to show the news. Thankfully, it still works." Slate commented and stepped back, pressing a few buttons and punching the side of the rusty TV. The screen sparked on, waves of static fading to show a woman behind a desk with a serious expression on her face.

"People of Atlas, we- we've been struck a great blow to our kingdom. Actium… Actium is gone. The border city was torn apart by explosions, there were… no survivors. Only one group has been found guilty of this crime, the invaders of Vale: The Abandoned. Over thirty thousand lives were lost to their unprovoked assault on our soil. We now go live to General Ironwood of the Atlesian Military and his response to the attack."

The scene changed to a disheveled man in a white coat, his hair wild and his face pulled taut with anger "What happened here today has shaken every man, woman and child of our home. I will not rest until those that have destroyed, that have struck us, are brought to justice. This is a promise not only to Atlas, but to those who have fallen on this day."

 **Hours earlier…**

 **South-Eastern Atlesian Border, Actium Gates.**

A particularly cheery man was walking with a bounce in his step down the road, hand holding the satchel's strap at his side. His journey had led him across the sea, costing him a hefty amount of lien, but here he was on the last stretch of his journey; and if his name ain't Randy he will get this job done.

The courier suddenly found himself outside a towering wall made of white steel, concrete and Atlesian craftsmanship. Randy took a second to recheck his client's delivery orders, nodding with a confident smile and looking up at the approaching troopers.

"Who are you? Identify yourself!" The leader barked, raising his rifle slightly at the man's chest.

"Name's Randy, Randy Payne. I'm just a courier, here to deliver a package to…" He squinted at the piece of paper in his hand. "...eh, Mr. Ironwood." That got the pair of men behind the lead trooper to glance at each other.

"Right, well I'm afraid that the General left just yesterday." The soldier stated with more than a hint of suspicion in his voice. Randy let out a annoyed huff, rolling his eyes.

"Well I have to deliver this package to the General, specifically in Actium. That's what my orders say, so that's what I got to do. So yeah, we have a slight problem." He snapped, rubbing a hand through his hair.

"It's a bigger problem than you realise. Since you weren't expected and this 'package' of yours wasn't on the delivery list, you'll need to come with us to the Base Commander." The leader said calmly, lowering his rifle finally. "We will try and get this sorted out as soon as possible, sir." Randy let out a groan and nodded.

"Yeah, otherwise my client might call up. He said this job had a short deadline. I just want to get this thing to Mr. Ironwood and get the other half of my pay."

"Like I said, sir, we'll try and sort this out." With that, the white armoured trooper tapped at the keypad, opening the large plated gate to reveal a large arch and civilisation beyond that. The four men made their way through the small residential area, mostly inhabited by the men and their families.

"This place is pretty big." The courier noted, looking at an off duty soldier pushing a child on a swing, laughing as his daughter squealed with joy.

"Yes it is, sir. Actium is a pretty important place, its the only real defence this part of the border." One of the soldiers explained. "We mostly deal with seafaring Grimm, but now with those Abandoned soldiers hanging about, we keep an eye out for anything brass or knightly." Randy glanced around, trying to find anything that could actually hit something on or in the water.

"Quick question, how do you actually handle anything? I don't see any guns or weapons, do you throw rocks at them or something?" He asked, the leading trooper looked back at him.

"You seem awfully curious for a mailman." The soldier noted, though the courier just chuckled.

"Yeah yeah, I'm just wondering how the boys in Atlas protect their homes. Vale just has a bunch of guys with sticks nowadays." They shared a laugh, ending as he rubbed his chin. "But come on, you all have guns while I have a bag with a box. Unless you're all obese under that armour, I'm pretty sure you'd beat me if I was a spy."

"I suppose so, sir." The leader said with a nod, stopping their journey at a small bunker and a pair of double doors. He slid a keycard through an open slot, clicking loudly and opening the blast doors with clanking gears. "Come along, the Commander should be in his office."

"Stereotypical military officers." Randy chuckled as he joined the soldiers in the elevator, watching the doors close with slightly excited eyes. It was a short trip, soon they were frog marching the man through cold steel walls. They passed a handful of soldiers as the men walked, most barely gave them a second glance except for a surprisingly grumpy worker in overalls.

Randy groaned as the soldiers and worker argued over something, probably with him being down here. His attention wandered, counting a few bolts in the wall, following the cables above his head, the massive missile peering at him through a window.

"Holy shit!" He exclaimed and latched onto the glass frame, nose pressed against it as the man's eyes widened at the size of the rocket. One of the other troopers joined him, smiling proudly.

"That right there is ten kilotons of Dust powered explosive. Strong enough to level even a pack of Goliaths, and the best part is the fact we have a lot more." Randy snapped his attention to the other man.

"You're kidding."

"Not at all, sir. This bunker spans a good couple miles, give or take, and from a personal guess… I'd say there's well over one hundred thousand warheads in this place. Here's the best part." The soldier looked over his shoulder before leaning towards the courier. "This facility goes down even deeper."

"Damn, Atlas is set for the apocalypse." Randy stated, imaginated him and his brother tapping at the missile for shits and giggles. Even the faint clicking sound was back in the depths of his mind.

"Hey, mailman, come on. The Commander's waiting." Once again the leader spoke up, nodding down towards a nearby doorway. The courier rolled his eyes and stepped towards the door, only to pause midstep. His eyes narrowed and he tilted his head.

"I swear I'm hearing a beeping noise-" The courier was interrupted by a single long, drawn out beep. Then the explosions started. Ignited from deep within the dirt by the client's package, something within the device ordering the warheads to explode.

Above ground, the terrain heaved and bloated. Flinging bodies and emploding the concrete structures that once housed them, cascading across the landscape with great quaking explosions. The ground was airborne for a minute, silently hanging in the air as homes flew and corpses froze. Those that had survived had the mythical life-flash behind their visors, mouths torn open in silent screams

Then it all came down. Like a single wave crashing down onto sand, the remnants of the fortress sunk into the gaping maw of Remnant. Another wave of dust and disturbed dirt poured over the land, showering everything with a horrible, clinging brown shade. Even with the thick cloud, the faint flashes of unstable Dust could be seen in the smog. The only signs of the previous civilisation from the newly formed crater.

Again, the screen showed the woman behind the desk, now covering her face and shuddering slightly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I- I'm sorry." The TV snapped back to the ocean of white rain, screaming harshly at those around the table. Slate turned the device off, turning back to the pale woman he obeyed. She had her eyes closed, breathing evenly with calming exhales. Then her eyes snapped open, instantly locked onto the goggled madman.

"You have done something that I never believed could happen again. You've started another war among the kingdoms, all by sending a single mailman on his way." The woman said with a proud smile. "I must say, you have exceeded my expectations in every way once again."

"That's my middle name, boss." Chirpy giggled, bowing with an extremely wide grin on his face. "Anytime you want, I'm willing to commit any and all war crimes in your name!" He stated, not an ouch of regret in his voice. Watts let out a short laugh, catching the ire of the goggled man. "Up shut the fuck up, Spaghetti Man. I don't see you doing anything helpful." The older man scowled and started to rise from his seat.

"You dare-?" He started, meeting the grinning man with an enraged sneer.

"Stop." Both men stopped in their tracks, eyes widened yet locked together. Watts turned first, eyes lowered under his mistress' harsh stare. He nodded silently, sitting back down in silence. Chirpy was however preoccupied by blankly staring at the witch, almost in a state of shock. His mouth worked away in mute attempts to speak.

"Yes." Came his not so snarky response, taking his seat opposite the doctor with an unusual silence. The pale woman gave him another curious glance before speaking to those around the table.

"This isn't the time for petty arguments, this is the time for celebration. With the kingdoms in chaos, the Abandoned in play and the huntsmen scattered, our goal will be within our hands so very soon. Those who hold the titles of Maiden will forfeit their powers, and those who hide the Relics from our eyes will die. We will change Remnant, we will change… the world." Salem smiled sinisterly, looking around her subordinates' with a calm gaze.

Hazel nodded slowly, returning her gaze with proud eyes. Even if his face was stoic, it was clear the large man was happy with the present, perhaps even the future. Tyrian was giggling madly, clapping with wide eyes that barely held his loyalty and devotion within. Watts wore a smirk on his face, slowly moving his fingers up onto the table and locking them together. The doctor was no doubt already planning for the next plan.

The man named Chirpy and Slate remained frozen, eyes snapping around as his hands fiddled with each other. He didn't seem to be acting like either personality, it was almost like he was someone else. Suddenly, the man shook his head like a dog drying itself off and blinked a few times, twitching twice before turning to the pale witch.

"What a day, what a lovely fucking day, ma'am." The goggled man cheered with a stretched grin. "Just like my uncle's stories, he always knew that this day was coming. Now look at me, helping lead the apocalypse straight to the gates of Paradise City! The Grass ain't gonna be green and the girls sure aren't going be pretty." Chirpy let out a bark of laughter, wiping a finger under his eye and leaning on the table. "So what's next? Kick puppies over the sea? Drop a few Grimm outside Atlas' doorstep? Come on, I'm itching to do some bad."

"We will wait and see what Remnant does in response to this recent attack." Salem calmly answered. "Until then, Watts, you will be assisting our newest member with collecting the kingdom's reactions towards this… unprovoked act of aggression."

"Yes, Mistress."

"Gotcha, Boss. I'll keep the old man in line."

"Tyrian, you will lead the hunt for the Fall Maiden. With Cinder's unfortunate death, the powers she once had are lost. Find the girl who wields them, bring her here alive." The mad faunus giggled and gave a low nod.

"It will be done, my glorious Mistress." He replied with a devoted smile, getting a slight smile from the witch.

"Good. Hazel, you will make contact with Adam Taurus and find out if he lives. Make sure he doesn't reach the other White Fang and reveal our previous deal, otherwise we'll have a few setbacks in the future." The large man gave a grunt and nod. Salem slowly brought her gaze across the table, giving each of her underlings one last thoughtful look. "You are all dismissed." The four men stood and gave a nod towards their mistress, removing themselves from the room swiftly.

 **Like that, the story ends with a bang. So this is probably a pretty short chapter, but the threat of writer's block was on the horizon. I wanted the few readers that see this to have something to end on, even if it is a cliffhanger.**

 **So to explain the rewrite, I'm planning to combine chapters and expand a lot of them; mostly to add a more reasonable and understandable story. Quite simply, once again, I had no clue what I was doing when I started this beauty. So I guess I'll add a short list of planned changes for the most curious.**

 **-Make Team BRAS give an actual hint of hatred for hunters off the bat instead of their sudden burst of hate-boner. Alongside a better characterisation of the boys in brass, just a few little things.**

 **-Give the characters of the Auxiliary chapters more history and reasoning for their personality or general reason why they fight. Just like I (totally) planned at the start of this.**

 **-Expand the military of Regnum Aes, mostly change every Auxiliary/Legionnaire to simply auxiliary/legionnaire, add more story to the Captains and change the 'Banished' title to 'Brass Legion'. I think this makes more sense, Ozpin and the book o' exposition would be old enough to use the Abandoned's old title.**

 **-Give the huntsmen teams in the Vytal fights more history, or at least make them more interesting.**

 **-Get rid of the repetitive names in the earlier chapters, just a little cleaning up.**

 **In short, over this new year I'll be replacing the chapters a few at a time. Keep an eye out if you wish, otherwise I hope you have good travels on this website. I hope that you've all enjoyed.**


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